ProPrint October 2021

I love the cards, so does my customer... They came up great and super quick turnaround time.

Toni

All I can say is WOW. You guys have well & truly delivered and I am speechless at the quality, your service & the turnaround.

We just received the business cards this morning, they’re so beautiful! Really appreciate all your help with these, we’re so impressed with how they turned out.

Emily

I’m more than impressed with your online platform, workflow and daily updates. Your communication process was flawless.

Pete

The service, turnaround, delivery and quality are all incredible. It’s been such a relief to finally have found a printer who does all of this well after 20 years of being in the industry.

I’ve worked in customer experience for 10 years and I have to say this has easily been the best end-to-end service I’ve ever received. The order was easy to track and the print standard was superb.

Oliver

Olga

Indy

‘CUSTOMER IS KING AT HERO PRINT’ ...AND IT SHOWS

o

Queen ^

SHEREE YOUNG

ProPrint celebrates turning 30 years old

Welcome to the October 2021 edition of ProPrint, an issue which marks 30 years since this publication first came into being.

This issue, and the next five editions, will each feature a retrospective look at what was making the news make in the day.

This issue covers 1991-1995 and includes highlights from drupa in 1995.

I hope you enjoy looking through the old photos as much as I did and see how as trends change, new technology arrives bringing with it inevitable challenges for the industry.

When ProPrint first went to press John Hewson was trying to (unsuccessfully) convince Australians the GST was a good idea with his Fightback! plan with then prime minister Paul Keating pipping him at the post to stay in office.

In the print industry, prepress technology and image reproduction was definitely the talk of the town back in those days as Apple Macintosh moved in and jostled for position among the more traditional technology types.

One thing that was clear as I leafed through the old magazines piled up around me is that when change occurs, everything eventually finds its place.

And this is something I believe to be true for print. Yes, things change, but there is always a place.

As ProPrint turns 30, printing and marketing giant, IVE Group, turns 100.

I send my sincere congratulations to Geoff Selig, Matt Aitken and all the team at IVE Group for navigating the tricky terrain of print to be in such a such a position of strength today.

It was a pleasure to discuss IVE

This issue ProPrint is celebrating 30 years in print.

We hope you enjoy the first in a six-part series exploring the rich and colourful history of this muchloved magazine.

You can start strolling down memory lane from page 46.

Group’s rich history with Geoff and Matt for our cover story and we hope you enjoy reading it.

Another special story is our Star Business feature on Special T Print owner, Corey London, who spoke with great honesty for this story.

As I write this letter, the submissions period for the 2021 ProPrint Awards is drawing to a close. I would like to thank all nominees for taking the time to make their entry.

We look forward to presenting the winners for the Power 50, Emerging 50, Supplier 50 and Industry Achievement Award at our awards event on Friday November 26 at the Shangri-la Hotel in Sydney.

After the year we have all had it will be wonderful to catch-up in person and celebrate.

ProPrint’s technology writer, Peter Kohn, has also written a Technology Focus on the digital printing and finishing sectors which we hope you will find useful and informative.

Enjoy the read and I hope to see you at the ProPrint Awards on November 26 in Sydney!

Go well and stay safe, Sheree

Editor

Sheree Young (02) 8586 6131 SYoung@intermedia.com.au

National Sales Manager

Carmen Ciappara 0410 582 450 carmen@proprint.com.au

Design and Production Manager

Carrie Tong carrie@i-grafix.com

Managing Director James Wells james@intermedia.com.au

Subscriptions

(02) 9660 2113 subscriptions@intermedia.com.au Subscription rate (6 issues) Australia $69.95

Printed by Hero Print Alexandria, NSW, 2015

Mailed by D&D Mailing Services Wetherill Park, NSW, 2164

ProPrint is published bi-monthly by Printer Media Group, registered in Australia ABN 47 628 473 334. This publication may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. While every care has been taken in the preparation of this magazine, it is a condition of distribution that the publisher does not assume any responsibility or liability for any loss or damage which may result from any inaccuracy or omission in the publication.

DISCLAIMER

This publication is published by The Intermedia Group Pty Ltd (the “Publisher”). Materials in this publication have been created by a variety of different entities and, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher accepts no liability for materials created by others. All materials should be considered protected by Australian and international intellectual property laws. Unless you are authorised by law or the copyright owner to do so, you may not copy any of the materials. The mention of a product or service, person or company in this publication does not indicate the Publisher’s endorsement. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Publisher, its agents, company officers or employees. Any use of the information contained in this publication is at the sole risk of the person using that information. The user should make independent enquiries as to the accuracy of the information before relying on that information. All express or implied terms, conditions, warranties, statements, assurances and representations in relation to the Publisher, its publications and its services are expressly excluded save for those conditions and warranties which must be implied under the laws of any State of Australia or the provisions of Division 2 of Part V of the Trade Practices Act 1974 and any statutory modification or re-enactment thereof. To the extent permitted by law, the Publisher will not be liable for any damages including special, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages (including but not limited to economic loss or loss of profit or revenue or loss of opportunity) or indirect loss or damage of any kind arising in contract, tort or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such loss of profits or damages. While we use our best endeavours to ensure accuracy of the materials we create, to the extent permitted by law, the Publisher excludes all liability for loss resulting from any inaccuracies or false or misleading statements that may appear in this publication.

Copyright

© 2021 — Charted Media Group Pty Ltd

News Corp mandates jab at Chullora

by Sheree Young

Print workers at News Corp’s Chullora site now must be vaccinated to attend work.

The decision to mandate the vaccine among workers comes as debate continues to rage about vaccination rules in the workplace.

At the time of the decision – the first by a major printing company – AMWU print and packaging secretary Lorraine Cassin told ProPrint that of the 70 workers at the site, 10 had not been vaccinated.

The Real Media Collective CEO Kellie Northwood supported the move, especially given when the announcement was made the LGA the factory is in was listed as one of concern.

“As such we support their position to keep their employees and operational site as safe as possible and implement a COVID vaccination initiative,” Northwood said, while also acknowledging the complexities involved with implementing workplace vaccination policies.

“The industry would always prefer some legislated government regulations and guidance, however, to date both governments and the Fair Work Ombudsman have only offered vague communications which are highly interpretative.

“Our view, as an industry body, is the priority must be on providing safe workplace environments for all staff and contractors. Therefore, a risk assessment must be undertaken across each workplace to remain consistent with public health orders and recommendations, individual rights of workers and the health risk of COVID infection.

“As an industry we are developing a Workplace Vaccination positioning statement as we acknowledge each member company will have different requirements.

“With that in mind, TRMC has determined to support our members case by case. We have

collected member support for on-site vaccination options for staff which we have issued to government, we have also held a member briefing about the current rules and guidance provided from government and Fair Work and we have issued our Industry Vaccination Initiative survey to determine where members are regarding their needs on vaccination policies in the workplace.

“From there we will provide drafted communication templates, policy documents and legal guidance across individual company needs.”

Newspapers including The Australian , The Daily Telegraph as well as the Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Financial Review are printed at the site as part of a contract between Nine and News Corp.

News Corp’s managing director for NSW, Nicholas Gray, said in a statement:

“As a company, we are committed to providing the strongest COVID safe workplace and have provided the opportunity for all News Corp Australia staff in NSW to be vaccinated through a government-approved provider. Our

Sydney Print Centre staff at Chullora, in an NSW Health designated LGA of concern, perform work essential to the printing and distribution of trusted news and information, both from our company and others including Nine to ensure the public can make informed choices about the pandemic, and about much else.

“Their health and safety is a priority. After a period of consultation with our staff we will make it a requirement for anyone entering our Sydney Print Centre after 7pm on September 19 to provide evidence of having at least had their first vaccination dose.”

Cassin said News Corp has advised it is looking at expanding the arrangement nationally.

“We don’t support mandatory vaccinations. We support vaccinations, we support education, and we support people going and talking to their doctors about their concerns. We support giving people time to be able to grapple with this,” she said.

Cassin also said rapid antigen testing needs to be mandated and paid for by Medicare to help keep the population safe.

SA LIA Graduate of the Year named

by Sheree Young

Bianca Willson of Multi-Color Corporation is the 2021 South Australian LIA Heidelberg Graduate of the Year.

The prestigious biennial award was made by the Lithographic Institute of Australia (LIA) and is supported by Heidelberg Australia and Visual Connections. Nominations are received from employers for apprentice training for a wide variety of industry careers.

Willson recently completed her print apprenticeship and won following extensive interviews and evaluations by industry experts.

The other finalists were Adam Brown from Visualcom, Nick Birbas from Multi-Color Corporation and Fletcher Masters from Hansen Print & Design.

LIA South Australia President, Gordon Wilson, said graduates, their colleagues, and

families, enjoyed drinks and canapés at Fujifilm Business Innovation offices in Adelaide on September 19.

“It was very pleasing to be able to recognise the achievements of these great young people, who will doubtless become some of the industry’s next generation of leaders. We sincerely congratulate Bianca on the win, and commend her fellow finalists, too, on their outstanding performance,” Wilson said.

“The LIA has a long history of supporting education and training across our sector, and we are delighted to see the continuing high standard of graduates and, with the help of our sponsors Heidelberg Australia and Visual Connections, to be able to provide a tangible reward for their efforts as they seek to further their education and industry experience.” For more information visit, www.lia.com.au.

Major move: News Corp sets COVID-19 vaccine rules for print workers.

Rob Slater, MCC, Bianca Willson and Peter Harper of Visual Connections

Imagination Graphics increases finishing capacity

by Sheree Young

Business conditions are not easy right due to COVID, but Emmanuel Buhagiar of Sydney’s Imagination Graphics has been using the time to iron out finishing bottlenecks so his business will be ready to fly once this period is over.

Buhagiar recently installed a new Horizon BQ-270V PUR binder through Currie Group and a NeoCut-0806 digital cutter from Smartech, formerly Neopost and Quadient.

Since Imagination Graphics installed a Konica Minolta AccurioJet KM-1 digital inkjet in 2019, the business has experienced an uplift in book printing and other work that required the finishing department to be expanded.

The purchase marked Buhagiar’s first through Currie Group.

“The Horizon PUR binder is the first piece of equipment I have bought through Currie Group, but the experience has been very good as they allowed me to use a spare binder until mine arrived which has been great,” Buhagiar told ProPrint

“Since I got the KM-1 we have been producing a lot more books. The KM-1 is doing its job very well for us.

“Having that machine has allowed us to attract more and different types of work and books seem to be the go.”

The Horizon BQ-270V PUR binder can handle a maximum book block of 320mm x 320mm with thicknesses of between 1 to 50mm.

The new cutter from Smartech has brought new levels of automation to the business.

The NeoCut-0806 includes a conveyor belt system for loading jobs and this was one of the key attractions for Buhagiar.

“I saw the cutter at a demonstration they had about a year ago and I was very impressed with the machine,” he said.

“With our old machine we had to hand feed it and take the work off by hand but this new one has a conveyor belt with it.

“So, the boys can line it up, put in 100 sheets and walk away. It is terrific as it is bit more automated for us.

“It is an A2 size which is a great size for our business. We will use it for top slitting labels, shelf talkers and die-cut boxes.”

The NeoCut-0806 cuts, kiss cuts, scores, and perforates a range of substrates including paper, laminates, adhesives, magnets, paper corrugated cardboard, low density PVC form board and synthetic stocks up to 800mm x 600mm in size and up to 600 gsm.

In other installations, Imagination Graphics has also invested in a second-hand Polar guillotine to help with overflow.

“Since getting the KM-1 our finishing

department has been choked up as we have a lot more work to finish so we decided to get an extra guillotine.

“Our team is not dedicated to one particular thing, so if there is not much digital happening, they can hop on and do some extra work on the cutter, so this just gives us more capacity for that,” he said.

“We’ve bought three machines in the last three months to improve our productivity.

“Two have been replaced which is fair enough and the guillotine was extra.”

Buhagiar said the last few months have indeed been difficult due to the lockdowns but he is confident that business will come roaring back very soon as lockdowns lift as the vaccination rates continue to increase.

“We were having a really good couple of months before lockdown hit us again, but I am now gearing up for when things get back to normal. I am getting the business ready for when it all comes back.”

Search on for a new Women in Print patron for Victoria

by Sheree Young

After five years, Kirsten Taylor has called time on her role as Women in Print’s Victorian patron and the search is now on for a replacement.

Taylor, the creative director at Taylor’d Press, multiple Power 50 finalist and 2020 PVCA Woman in Print, is committed to staying involved in the organisation which supports women by providing networking opportunities, sharing knowledge, support by creating a community of women to support each other.

Taylor is also ready and willing to provide a thorough handover to the new incumbent once this has been decided through a nomination process and a Women in Print board election.

She said the biggest time commitment in the role is organising the annual Women in Print breakfast which is held each August.

Taylor resigns from her post after a record attendance at this year’s Women in Print breakfast, no easy feat given the challenges of the pandemic. Her dedication to the role and enthusiasm has also seen the Women in Print community in Victoria grow continuously.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed my years with

Women in Print. Meeting so many amazing individuals across our industry has been wonderful for not only my professional network, but also for my personal growth to know I have a village of support around me. I recommend the role to anyone across Victoria as it has been one of the best industry initiatives I’ve been involved with,” Taylor said.

Women in Print founder and chair, Susan

Heaney, thanked Taylor for her service.

“I have had the absolute honour to work with Kirsten over the past five years and thank her personally and on behalf of the Women in Print Board and Women in Print community for her tireless and passionate contribution,” Heaney said. “Kirsten will be missed, however we are also encouraged to welcome a new Patron and I urge women across the industry in Victoria to consider submitting a nomination.”

Women in Print Executive Director, Kellie Northwood, said working with Taylor has been a privilege.

“A passionate industry volunteer, Kirsten is also always a wonderful support when you need which has been so valuable over the past year,” Northwood said.

“Women in Print is calling on all women across our industry – design, print, publisher, letterbox, mail to consider nominating and becoming part of this wonderful diversity and inclusion program for industry.

“Nominate yourself or consider nominating someone else, it’s a great initiative to be part of.”

For more information, please email: hello@ womeninprint.com.au.

Expanding the finishing department has been a focus for Imagination Graphics owner Emmanuel Buhagiar.

Stepping down from Women in Print: Kirsten Taylor

Qld’s Koala Graphix brings finishing in-house

by Sheree Young

Koala Graphix owner Mike Fowler recently invested in a Horizon CRF-362 creaser and folder and a Foliant Vega 400 industrial cello laminator, through Currie Group, and is already noticing productivity improvements due to the speed and automation offerings of both units.

He says he invested in new and more automated finishing kit because at heart he is a perfectionist and he wanted to have complete control over how his print jobs were finished.

Fowler has run his print business at Cleveland, east of Brisbane, for 30 years and over that time has built up a steady flow of solid clients, while also broadening his offer beyond offset and digital printing to include signage.

While Koala Graphix had the capacity for some folding, creasing and celloglazing on site, for larger jobs Fowler needed to send these to external providers to be completed and he was not always happy with the results.

The Horizon CRF-362 creaser and folder is designed for heavier sheets making it suitable for creasing covers, restaurant menus, shop cards, invitations and laminated sheets.

It features an impact creaser which avoids cracking on digitally printed applications.

The Foliant Vega 400 is a compact industrial cello laminator designing for heavy duty inhouse lamination of digital and offset outputs with a maximum sheet size of 38cm x 72cm.

“The reason why I bought the Horizon creaser folder is I didn’t want my jobs cracking when they are folded,” Fowler told ProPrint

“I decided to invest in the machine for my own sake as I am a bit fastidious and when I send jobs to get folded and they come back cracked I don’t like it.

“I bought the Foliant cello laminator to improve productivity so I could do bigger jobs.

“I had a hand operated one but now I have gone to the automated model to increase productivity and it also handles a bigger sheet.”

Fowler bought the machines through Michael Mostyn, Queensland Sales Account Manager at Currie Group, who he commended for his quality advice and follow up visits post-purchase.

He also said the training and expert advice from Currie Group engineer Shane Sparozvich was fantastic.

“Both Michael and Shane were great in helping me decide on the right choice and then make sure I was totally across how to operate the equipment,” Fowler said.

“They are great machines, I’ve been using them both a great deal as I am I doing a lot of work, especially with the creaser folder.

“I am doing brochures and catalogues now. They are not real small jobs, but they are not huge jobs either, so this machine is perfect for what I need. With scoring jobs, it can fold and crease 300gsm and 350gsm jobs.

“It is very useful being able to celloglaze and prescore before the covers go into the digital press, I do this before they get inserted into the book.

“Believe it or not after 30 years I am expanding quite dramatically so I decided to invest, and I will probably invest in some more equipment down the track. I’m only a small printer but I’ve got some great clients.”

Canva’s valuation soars to $40b

by Hafizah Osman

Canva’s valuation has now reached an all-time high of US$40 billion, after US$200 million was raised in its latest funding round.

The record comes five months after the Australian company, which allows users to make posters, social media graphics, presentations and more, updated its valuation to US$15 billion following a US$71 million investment.

The latest funding round was led by investment management firm T.Rowe Price, which was joined by Franklin Templeton, Sequoia Capital Global Equities and Bessemer Venture Partners among others in the latest round.

Canva said the money will be used to double its team of 2,000 employees over the next year.

Launched in 2013, Canva has more than 60 million monthly users in 190 countries and counts companies including Zoom Video Communications, Salesforce and PayPal as its customers.

“Visual communication has emerged as a universal need for teams of every size across

almost every industry,” Canva co-founder and CEO Melanie Perkins said.

“It has been incredible to see the continued growth of Canva across the globe over the last year. More than 60 million people are now using Canva for everything from launching start-ups to raising awareness for non-profits, supporting remote learning, collaborating in distributed teams, and managing global enterprise brands at scale. We’re incredibly excited to

be further accelerating our mission to truly empower the world to design.”

As usage and adoption climb, Canva says it has more than doubled revenue year on year and is on track to exceed US$1 billion in annualised revenue by the end of the year.

The Canva community has created more than seven billion designs, with 120 new designs created every second using Canva’s library of more than 800,000 templates and over 100 million design ingredients, including photos, videos, stickers, audio tracks, and illustrations.

“The need for both visual communication and online collaboration has become increasingly paramount and is driving Canva’s exceptional growth and adoption in teams and workplaces of every size and across many industries,” T. Rowe Price Global Technology Fund portfolio manager Alan Tu said.

“We’re pleased to extend our investment supporting Canva on its mission to democratise visual communication.”

Upgrading and expanding: Koala Graphix owner Mike Fowler with his new finishing equipment.

Canva founder Melanie Perkins.

Break through the latex barrier

Quality Press upgrades with new HP Indigo 7K

by Sheree Young

Quality and speed were key considerations when Quality Press managing director Atish Shah upgraded to a new HP Indigo 7K Digital Press, through Currie Group, but so was the ability to print on thicker and more varied substrates.

Quality Press is one of Western Australia’s most significant commercial printers. It added wide format to its offer about five years ago and is now looking at deepening its diversification into packaging, with an eye on adding labels in the not-too-distant future.

The business has run a HP Indigo 5500 Digital Press since 2009, but Shah said the time had come for a digital upgrade to ensure Quality Press remains relevant for customers.

After intensive research, the HP Indigo 7K Digital Press was chosen with the press now the first of its type to be installed in Western Australia.

Shah said the most attractive features of the press are its ability to print on substrates up to 550 microns thick and the new EPM (Enhanced Productivity Mode) which has increased productivity and reduced costs.

He also said the vastly expanded colour gamut featuring 20 specialty inks including silver, premium white, transparent and a range of fluorescent colours also drove the decision.

“Our 5500 was about 12 years old and the technology had moved forward so we looked at several different options for a replacement, but in the end, we chose this machine for productivity and uptime,” Shah told ProPrint

“It also comes with new features and benefits in terms of the thicker substrates so that will

help with the packaging side of things.

“Our sales staff are really very happy with the quality and so are our clients. They can see the difference straight away because of the colours and the vibrancy of the prints.”

Speed was another factor with the HP Indigo 7K Digital Press able to print 120 four-colour A4 pages per minute.

Quality Press also operates with a Horizon finishing set-up, also supplied through Currie Group, with the offering including the Horizon Cabs 4000 binder, Horizon StitchLiner 6000, Horizon BQ-270 and HT-30 to eliminate finishing bottlenecks for the business which also has a Komori and KBA offset set-up.

Shah said the other key benefit of the new HP Indigo is the ease with which it can turn around short run jobs.

“This new press will really help with the short run work. There are a lot of set up costs with the offset so if a customer wants 500 or 1000 units it will be just cheaper to produce that job on the HP Indigo, rather than running five or six sets of plates and wasting a lot of sheets on the press before having the main run. The digital is just so much more cost effective,” Shah said.

He also said the new software in the printer and fast RIP means job changeover is now taking place faster than ever.

“The changeover of the new HP Indigo is amazing. It is much faster which is about the new software which comes with the Indigo and the new RIP is so much quicker. Our operator is very excited about this,” Shah said.

He said the economic climate in Western Australia has been relatively positive with

minimal lockdowns impeding trading, boosted by rising domestic travel and mining.

There had also been some silver linings with local companies sourcing goods domestically, rather than going overseas due to COVIDinduced shipping delays.

“COVID has helped with this as there has been delays with lead times from shipping and transit times. This has encouraged many customers to look for local suppliers which is helping. We are also seeing some volumes coming across to us,” Shah said.

“We are in a lucky situation here with having minimal lockdowns and the local economy is fairly buoyant from the mining perspective. Money is rotating within the local economy, so the market is steady, it is not fantastic, but it is steady, and work keeps coming in.”

Adrian Dixon, senior account manager for Currie Group WA, has been servicing Quality Press for over 20 years.

“Quality Press are a terrific business and I fondly remember our first Horizon Perfect Binder being installed back in January 2007,” Dixon said.

“Our relationship strengthened with more Horizon equipment later that year and then the introduction of the HP Indigo 5500 – a digital press capable of offset quality.

“We are delighted to see Quality Press continue their relationship with Currie Group. The recent installation of the fully configured HP Indigo 7K Digital Press is the next chapter and brings not only improved productivity and quality, but a whole range of substrates and specialty ElectroInks never before available on the earlier Indigo platforms.”

Quality Press digital manager Nirav Patel and managing director Atish Shah with the new HP Indigo 7K Digital Press.

Classic billboards impact on par with TV ad

by Sheree Young

The Outdoor Media Association has released the findings of its two-year neuroscience study which tracked the memory and emotional response of 2,050 Australians to over 800 classic and digital billboards.

The study, conducted in partnership between the OMA and Neuro-Insight, led to the creation of a ‘Neuro Impact Factor’ which can be used as ‘currency’ by advertising agencies keen to talk up Out of Home (OOH).

The study used eye-tracking and brain-imaging technology to analyse the brain’s neural response to OOH signs. By measuring the peak moments of long-term memory encoding and emotional intensity in the brain, Neuro-Insight was able to evaluate the impact of OOH.

Both memory and emotion are key neuroscience metrics associated with mental availability which is linked to effective advertising campaigns.

OMA CEO Charmaine Moldrich says, “This research is a game-changer for Out of Home. Not only have we provided undeniable, scientific proof of the subconscious impact of advertising, but we have also shown that just one glance at one of our signs is sufficient for brand messages to elicit an emotional response that encodes into long term memory.

“What’s more, it introduces a qualitative measure that will be added in 2022 to our audience measurement system, MOVE, giving agencies and clients yet another tool to help them plan and buy their Out of Home campaigns.”

Moldrich said the study shows that classic billboard advertising is as impactful as a 30 second radio commercial or 15 second television ad. Advertising seen on digital signs averages even higher by delivering 63 per cent more impact than classic signs.

Neuro-Insight CEO Peter Pynta said, “What we have accomplished in doing this research is go beyond the ‘how many’ part of the equation that comprises most mature media measurement. With the Neuro Impact Factor, we have brought in a quality dimension in a scalable way.

“We finally have three parts of the triangle of reach, frequency and now impact Ω and I hope the market shares our vision.”

He said this is another step toward understanding the value of Out of Home.

“These results will inform the development of a new currency that advertisers and agencies can use alongside reach and frequency reports called the Neuro Impact Factor,” Moldrich said.

“The Factor will be exclusive to MOVE, and the first qualitative metric in the world to unite validated, real-world effectiveness with the quantitative metrics available in the system.”

Power of Print: Mental wellness

by Sheree Young

Simple strategies to help manage your mental wellness, and that of those around you, was the focus of the final Power of Print webinar featuring Man Anchor founder Steven Gamble.

The special session completed the 10-week series which was facilitated by The Real Media Collective CEO Kellie Northwood.

Gamble was joined by PrintNZ CEO Ruth Cobb, Lamson Group CEO Rodney Frost Ω a long-time supporter of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout Ω and Konica Minolta channel manager, Andrew Ward, the founder of mental health fitness group, Head Above Water.

Gamble’s mantra is ‘health is health’ no matter if it is a bad back or anxiety or depression.

“The last 18 months have been difficult for many of us and while we have found ways to work through and cope with what has been unusual and unprecedented, we should all acknowledge we have been touched by some challenge, stressors or crisis Ω no matter who we are,” Gamble said.

Suicide is not easy to discuss, but Gamble said it is a conversation that needs to be had.

“One way we can impact the national suicide rate is by having open and transparent

Steven Gamble used this slide to explain the daily activities that can help with mental wellness.

conversations around mental illness. If we can create opportunities to let people know they can reach out for support without judgement, and with empathy, this is a really a big plus to reduce the national suicide rate,” he said.

To help, Gamble devised a Power of Print 5 guide for daily mental wellness management.

On page 24 of this issue, Gamble has also written a column about depression.

“Find your ‘thing’ to support your wellbeing,” Gamble said, adding this could be anything from weeding the garden to sitting in the sun. Should anyone be experiencing difficulties please contact Lifeline – 13 11 14.

The study found printed billboards have the same impact as a 15 second TV ad or a 30 second radio commercial.

August issue

3 august CBS PRINTING IN GEW RYOBI RETROFIT

CBS Printing upgraded its

Ryobi 754G+C+SLD press with a GEW UV LED curing system last year with managing partner, Stephen Wilson, saying it brought an old machine “back to life”. UV LED curing allows offset printers to increase production as sheets dry instantly. The retrofit came as CBS moved into food packaging and needed to be resourceful due to COVID. “This line of business really took off for us and has brought in over $1 million in the past 12 months. So there has been an incidental benefit to our business from COVID, to counter the many negatives. The commercial print business is now steadily returning,” said Wilson, (pictured right with managing partner, Nathan Wilson).

7 august

10 august

VISTAPRINT NAMES $15K WINNERS

Six businesses will receive new branding and $15,000 thanks to a global Vistaprint campaign. The initiative was designed to help 99 small businesses bounce back after a tough year. The Australian winners were: OWAD Environment, a koala rehabilitation service; Holistic Avenue, a domestic violence and sexual assault charity; Pride Fitness, which supports LQBTQ fitness; Victoria’s Coffee van Messin and Clive’s Gardening and Fencing. Vistaprint Australia CEO Marcus Marchant (pictured) said almost 2000 applications were received. “We’re excited to support businesses and help them on their road to recovery by offering support to help them promote their business,” he said.

ALEX BLOCH JOINS CURRIE GROUP

Currie Group has announced sign and display specialist Alex Bloch (pictured) has joined the company’s service team after spending the last two years working as a technical specialist with EFI. Bloch has over a decade of experience in wide format digital printing. Before moving to Australia, he worked in Israel with HP Scitex and EFI (Matan) where he held several technical R&D roles.

5 august

10 august

IPG MARKETING SOLUTIONS NOW IMPRESSU PRINT GROUP

Queensland’s IPG Marketing Solutions has rebranded as Impressu Print Group. The company has operated since 1993 and has offset, digital and wide format capabilities plus print management, warehousing and logistics. IPG Marketing Solutions formed in 2017 after Domino’s increased its in-house print capabilities by purchasing IPG Connect and merged it with its own Direct Impact Media. Prior to this IPG Connect was known as Walmac Printing. Impressu Print Group general manager Kahn Barlow said the rebrand comes after a period of sustained growth for the business. “This rebrand reflects not only the business today, but where Impressu Print Group is heading in the future,” he said. “Everything we do is to ensure our customers’ brand is always visually impressive, in print and in pixels.”

$1M

a $1m settlement in the wake of the Cartier watch scandal. Under the deal, the postal service will pay Holgate $1m plus legal costs. In return Holgate has released Australia Post from all legal claims while Australia Post said it would pay the amount but was not admitting liability. The dispute broke out in October 2020 when Holgate was stood aside over watch purchases for four senior employees. The following month she resigned, saying she would not seek financial compensation. But in April 2021 she told a Senate inquiry she had been unlawfully stood down for no justified reason, adding the watches were purchased within her authority limits and had been approved by the previous chairman and CFO. Holgate is now the CEO of Global Express, a parcel delivery company which rivals Australia Post.

FORMER AUST POST CEO IN

DEAL Australia Post and former CEO Christine Holgate has reached

10 august

12 august

26 august

31 august

HEIDELBERG’S Q1 SALES UP

Heidelberg has reported higher order volumes and improved operating profitability with Q1 sales up by a third and incoming orders increasing by 90%. Heidelberg attributed the success to market recovery and growth from its transformation strategy. It said a recent trade show in China led to incoming orders of €652 million, an increase of 89% compared with last year. Given the uptick in demand – especially for the new Speedmaster CX 104 universal press – Heidelberg is optimistic. “Buoyed by the global economic recovery and the notable improvement in operating profitability, we are also very optimistic about meeting the targets announced for the year as a whole,” Heidelberg CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer said.

19 august

OOH!MEDIA

REVENUES UP

oOh!media has notched a 23% revenue lift to $251.6m in its HY 2021 results with EBITDA tripling to $33.3m. Road, retail, and street furniture experienced the most growth in A/NZ. The road category, which includes billboards printed by Cactus Imaging, a subsidiary of oOh!media, was the strongest with revenue increasing by 44% to $78.6m. oOh!media CEO Cathy O’Connor says the results demonstrate the scale and diversity of oOh!media’s assets. “We have seen strong audience growth post lockdowns which has led to a significant turnaround in revenue for the half, particularly in our key formats of Road, Retail and Street Furniture in Australia and New Zealand,” she said.

27 august

INKDUSTRIAL. OFFERS JETSCI LABELS

The Jetsci range of inkjet label printers is now available through Inkdustrial. Inkdustrial. sales director John Bryson said the range is priced economically for those keen to expand into labels and includes the Kolorsmart+ and the ColorNovo Hybrid+. “One of the highlights of the range is the ability to be upgraded to add in white and orange inks to increase the colour gamut of the printer,” Bryson said. “Standard features include webguide, corona unit, web cleaner and an inline flexo station prior to the inkjet unit to allow for priming, coating, or flood white printing. The ColorNovo Hybrid+ has all the features of the Kolosmart+ but includes full inline finishing solutions.”

Omnigraphics has added an Inca Onset X3 through Fujifilm Australia to its extensive press fleet. The wide format specialist now has over 20 large format printers and CEO Nathan Sable says the new addition will further bolster capacity. “Since we were established 20 years ago, Omnigraphics has expanded significantly to cater for the retail and POS markets, allowing growth across all facets of our business. By increasing revenue, it has allowed us to reinvest in more state-of-the-art equipment for further ventures,” he said. “The new Inca Onset has overcome space limitations by allowing us to consolidate three machines into one, while increasing capacity and product range. It really has been a game changer for us.” Sable said the new press complements the company’s other equipment.

Print and mail house, Precision Group, has invested in two TASKalfa Pro 15000c printers from Kyocera Document Solutions. The family business installed the first TASKalfa in November 2020 with the second added in July this year. Precision Group general manager Nick Carayanis said: “Its throughput gives us so much more flexibility. Considering a lot of the work we do is variable, it allows us to offer high level personalisation –which you can’t necessarily do with offset and overprint,” he said. Operations head, Matt Gatfield, said: “The majority of our larger volume work was going to the offset division, then over printed with variable data. Whereas a lot of the smaller volume work was going straight to single-pass, four-colour digital, there always was a gap in the slightly higher volume work where the cost of digital became a bit prohibitive and inefficient. These machines are a perfect fit that sits in between.”

KONGSBERG

PCS ACQUIRES

MULTICAM Kongsberg Precision Cutting Systems has acquired US manufacturer and distributor of CNC cutting machines and digital finishing processes, MultiCam. Kongsberg PCS said the acquisition of MultiCam, including its operations in the US and sales offices in Canada and Germany, expands its market reach and customer base across North America and Europe, and reinforces its position in the digital finishing market. Kongsberg PCS president Stuart Fox said, “Our businesses coming together to drive best-in-class cutting and finishing processes will deliver a tremendous advantage for our global customer base. Following the completion of the deal, I am now excited to begin integrating our businesses and exploring new markets.” The acquisition comes five months after Kongsberg PCS became a stand-alone business after being acquired by OpenGate Capital.

OMNIGRAPHICS ADDS INCA ONSET

PRECISION GROUP ADDS KYOCERA

7 september

FUJIFILM BI NZ NEW MD Fujifilm Business Innovation in New Zealand has appointed David Jupe as managing director after Peter Thomas stood down after six years in the role. Jupe brings extensive experience to the role having spent 16 years with Blue Star Group and was most recently at Western Mailing. He steps into the role from his current position as general manager of Managed Services. “The print industry has undergone a huge amount of change in recent years. This has been challenging in many ways. So, my focus in this new role will be on ensuring we have a sustainable, long-term business,” Jupe said. “Certainly, we’ll build on our position as the market leader in New Zealand.”

9 september

14 september

GRAND PRINT SERVICES

WINS

Grand Print Services has won two Outdoor Media Association Creative Collective awards. It took out the Innovation in Out of Home category for its Kid Approved Trips campaign for Wotif, and was a joint winner in the Big, Bold and Bright category for the Art Gallery of NSW’s Archibald campaign. Judge and Saatchi & Saatchi CEO Mike Spirkovski praised Grand Print Services for the Archibald project. “The campaign that delivered a sense of experience worked well for me and my particular favourite was the Art Gallery of NSW’s campaign, for its great use of simplicity and context.”

VIVAD WINS TECH GRANT Melbourne wide-format specialist Vivad is giving its webto-print portal, Vivtrack 3, a $100,000 upgrade after it won a Victorian government technology grant. Vivad owner Ewen Donaldson said he decided to apply for the $5 million Technology Adoption and Innovation Program (TAIP) to help onboard new technologies. “We were incredibly excited to learn that we were successful. This means we can spearhead our software project during the pandemic and emerge stronger on the other side,” he said.

8 september

MAGAZINE READERSHIP UP

Roy Morgan research shows the magazines which continued to be published during 2020 are thriving with solid readership increases across many categories. The research for the 12 months to June 2021 found 12m Australians aged over 14 (56.8%) read printed magazines, down 2.2%, from a year ago. This was attributed to the closure or suspension of many titles during 2020 due to COVID, but it also found that the magazines which continued experienced solid readership gains. Readership of food and entertainment mags increased 10.8% to over 7.1 million, while home and garden type publications increased by 17.8% to over 3.8m readers. Better Homes and Gardens topped the list as most read. In the free magazine segment, Coles Magazine with an annual readership of 5.1m notched a 11.6% increase, while Fresh Ideas clocked 4.6m readers, up 15.1%.

14 september

EPSON CLIMATE SURVEY RESULTS

Epson Australia managing director Craig Heckenberg says Epson research which shows a gap between climate reality and people’s understanding of its catastrophic effects is a wake-up call. The Epson Climate Reality Barometer studied the perceptions of 15,000 people around the world, including Australia, about climate change. When people were questioned about their views on humanity’s ability to avert a climate crisis within their lifetimes, 46% of respondents said they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ optimistic, whilst 27% said they were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ pessimistic. Epson Australia and New Zealand MD, Craig Heckenberg, said: “This is a wake-up call for everyone –governments, businesses and individuals – to work together, make the right decisions and inspire the right actions moving forward,” Heckenberg said, pointing to Epson’s Heat-Free technology to help create a sustainable future.

16 september

EPAC LANDS IN AUST ePac Flexible Packaging, a US-based digital printing for flexible packaging company, is launching in Australia with its first manufacturing facility to open in Melbourne this year.

ePac utilises digital printing technology from HP, namely the HP Indigo 20000. It says this platform enables it to provide fast time to market – between five to 15 business days, economical short and medium run length jobs, customisation, and the ability to order to demand to avoid costly inventory and obsolescence.

ePac Flexible Packaging Australia managing director Jason Brown said, “ePac helps local brands grow into major contributors within the community, with a unique offering for brands to rapidly go to market with great packaging. Opening our first facility at Newlands Road (Coburg) is an exciting milestone for ePac Australia, and we’ve already had a great response from the community.”

Introducing

Are you ready for the

KELLIE NORTHWOOD

On August 22, 2019, Google made an announcement that made media owners sit up and marketers’ shudder. As a global digital giant, Google are no strangers to announcements that alter our online worlds, but instead of causing excitement, this one sent shivers around the boardrooms of brands and ad agencies across the globe.

Among the reams of friendly corporate speak came the announcement that Google were to offer people more control over their personal data and increase the amount of privacy on the web. On the face of it, their proposal was simple: to change how cookies work within the Chrome browser and make it easier for users to block cookie tracking. In practice it’s a little more complicated.

The cookie conundrum

Right now, each time you visit a website, it will send a small amount of information — the cookie — to your device, which stores it within your web browser. That information can be useful, such as stored passwords, products in a basket, or your browsing history. Other cookies can be irritating, following you around the internet with reminders of past purchases or searchedfor items. And some can be downright dangerous — viruses and malware that can gather private information and potentially steal your identity.

What Google is proposing is to change is how cookies gather information about you, moving the process from individual to group tracking. Companies will still be able to gather personal data, but only enough to put you within a larger group, allowing you to keep your anonymity.

The main aim of this huge shift in the online ecosystem is to change the incentive structure for the advertising industry. Instead of blocking all thirdparty cookies — which would, according to Google, invite developers to find new ways to identify your device that would be virtually impossible to disable – Google want to allow advertisers to continue being able to target consumers without hurting publishers while respecting the privacy of its users.

With such a task, it should come as no surprise that this transition will take years

rather than months. Indeed, the switch date has just been put back a year from 2022 to 2023.

Through privacy comes trust

Given the scale and complexity of the task, the final details of how it will all work and the consequences for brands and marketers are sketchy, but it all ties into the broad area of consumer privacy. Privacy has long been a battleground for digital companies, governments, big businesses and consumer groups, ever since the first retailers began to realise that their customers’ data was almost as valuable as their purchases. “We believe the web community needs to come together to develop a set of open standards to fundamentally enhance privacy on the web,” said Vinay Goel, Google’s

Privacy Engineering Director, Chrome, adding this will give people more transparency and greater control over how their data is used.

With more and more data being gathered and used for more and more purposes — not all of them legal — consumer trust in the online medium has reached a new low. According to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, trust in search engine news has fallen to a record 51% (60% or over is considered ‘trusted’), while technology is the only sector not to have increased in trust, print is the highest trusted marketing channel.

In addition, 33% of Australians are ‘fearful’ of hackers and cyber-attacks, compared to 25% fearful of contracting COVID-19. And they should be, investment scams reported

In two years, Google will eradicate the third-party cookie. While privacy campaigners will applaud, marketers and advertisers will be crossing their fingers. But what will it mean for the print and mail industries?

The Real Media Collective CEO Kellie Northwood explains.

Google’s move to change how cookies work could be a boon for print.

‘Cookiepocalypse’?

to Scamwatch have cost Australians over $70 million in the first half of this year, more than the total losses reported to Scamwatch for all of 2020, and projected losses are set to reach $140 million by the end of the year.

The proliferation of fake news online throughout the pandemic has also seriously dented consumer confidence in digital, while businesses are constantly concerned about where their online ads end up, and the increase in ad fraud and its potentially ruinous consequences.

The opportunity for print

The eradication of third-party cookies means many things to many different brands. Some with hefty enough marketing budgets could thrive, developing their own ‘first-party’ data targeting systems, while others will doubtless struggle — the removal of a largely automated advertising channel resulting in a huge loss of customers and revenue.

But our industry could feel the benefits of a cookie-less society as print marketing can step up to the communication task. The tried-and-tested channel of direct mail is essentially the physical form of online

marketing, with companies utilising complex data streams to target consumers with the ideal profile for purchase. It may not be as instant as programmatic advertising, but the effect of receiving a sales message through the post has proven advantages and measurable ROI. Indeed, over the past year, repeated lockdowns and people having to work from home has meant that direct mail has been going through a resurgence.

Most notably the changing face of mail throughout the past 18 months as parcels have developed a new communication channel for retailers and brands.

A study conducted across 25 nations showed those shopping online more than once a week increased by 22% in 2020 on average, up from 17% in 2019. In Australia, we exceeded this global average with an increase of 27%. Retailers and brands now have the opportunity to utilise this new mail channel delivering the product with a brand magazine, look book or catalogue to inspire the next purchase and build brand equity points.

Magazine media has also benefitted from the COVID crisis, with print

readership increasing significantly in the 12 months to June 2021. A report by Roy Morgan found that a total of 12 million Australians aged 14+ (57% per cent) read print magazines in 2020/21, with standout categories including Home & Garden (+18%), Food & Entertainment (+11%), and General Interest (+6%).

“The results show that when magazine publishers offer compelling content there is a large market of consumers — over 15 million — who are ready to engage and respond,” said Michele Levine, CEO of Roy Morgan. “Despite the ‘digital deluge’ of the last year it is print magazines which are clearly the favoured channel. Magazines have the ability to communicate complex messaging, and with the massive reach of many magazines can deliver large audiences for advertisers.”

Quite what will happen to online advertising over the next few years and the knock-on effects for the marketing industry is, frankly, anyone’s guess. But an increase in privacy and security is only going to be a good thing — not only for the individual consumer but the wider commercial market and the steadying of the ‘digital frenzy’ as the qualities of print — trust, credibility, security — will be once again revered.

Bill Gates put it best when he said: “Historically, privacy was almost implicit, because it was hard to find and gather information. But in the digital world, whether it’s digital cameras or satellites or just what you click on, we need to have more explicit rules — not just for governments but for private companies.”

For our print and mail industries, the rising awareness of digital’s foibles brings balance back into the marketing landscape. All channels, digital included, have strengths and weaknesses. Print and mail bring trust, tactility and recall, something brands can take note of as consumers look for more than a click to secure their purchasing decision. Our role is to understand our strengths, sell to them and stand confidently focused on our future place.

About The Real Media Collective

The Collective is a not-for-profit industry association representing media channels that deliver results. Member companies represent paper, print, publishing, mail, letterbox and distribution across Australia and New Zealand. All activities and communications are delivered in a considered, researched, balanced and verifiable manner offering a sophisticated industry voice across producers, distributors, buyers and end-users.

Please visit www.therealmediacollective. com.au for more information.

Sexual Harassment Legislative Reforms

The federal government amended workplace sex discrimination laws this year. Charles Watson has unpacked the amendments and

CHARLES WATSON

Sexual harassment can be obvious, and it can be subtle. It ranges from low level insults, veiled misogyny and innuendo through to overt hostility and possibly criminal assault. Such conduct has no place in our society or in any workplace. Every individual in Australia should expect to work in an environment that is free from sexual harassment and sexual discrimination. Unfortunately, this issue remains to be totally eradicated from all workplaces.

As part of the federal government’s approach to tackling the issues it tasked the Australian Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Kate Jenkins, to undertake an inquiry into sexual harassment in the workplace.

Commissioner Jenkins delivered up the landmark Respect@Work Report in 2020 and the federal government introduced the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Bill 2021 this year. The final version of the Bill passed into law in early September 2021.

These new laws amend various pieces of legislation. The primary changes relevant to employers in our industry are as follows:

Under the Fair Work Act:

• Sexual harassment in connection with a person’s employment is considered as ‘serious misconduct’ and can be a valid reason for dismissal when and if the Fair Work Commission is required to determine whether a dismissal was harsh, unjust or unreasonable. As a result, employers will need to ensure such claims are appropriately investigated prior to deciding to terminate employment on that basis.

• A worker who is sexually harassed at work will be able to apply to the Fair Work Commission for a ‘Stop Sexual Harassment Order’, like the ‘Stop Bullying Order’. The Commission may make such an order if it is satisfied that sexual harassment has occurred and there is a risk of the harassment occurring in future. Unlike anti-bullying orders, there is no requirement for the sexual harassment to be repeated behaviour. The Commission is currently creating and implementing processes for making and hearing such claims.

• If a worker or their partner have a miscarriage, they will now each be entitled to 2 days paid compassionate leave (unpaid for casuals).

Under the Sex Discrimination Act:

• Discrimination involving harassment on the ground of sex will now be expressly prohibited. Whilst sex-based harassment

is already prohibited under the Sex Discrimination Act as a form of sex-based discrimination, the Respect@Work Report found that this is not well understood.

• Sexual harassment protections will now be extended to all paid and unpaid workers, including volunteers, interns and the self-employed.

• The application of the Sex Discrimination Act has been widened to ensure that it applies to sexual harassment by extending the ambit to those who cause, instruct, induce, permit or aid another person to do acts of sexual harassment, or harassment on the ground of sex. Under the Human Rights Act:

• In recognition of the pressures faced by complainants in speaking up, the time available for making a complaint under the Sex Discrimination Act to the Human Rights Commission will be extended from six months to two years.

What companies need to consider

These legislative amendments will require employers to consider their effects and ensure at least the following occurs:

• Review all workplace policies and related complaints procedures to identify any gaps and update them to the changes in the laws. This will include any leave policies to include a miscarriage being a reason for compassionate leave;

• Any complaints processes and procedures will need to ensure the business responds effectively to sexual harassment claims and complaints, particularly as a result of the Fair Work

Commission now having the jurisdiction to make stop orders;

• Businesses with enterprise agreements may need to consider the impact of any legislative amendments;

• Managers, supervisors and workers may need to undertake training so as to understand the changes to the laws and their impact on workplaces;

• Additionally, use this opportunity to consider the workplace culture and whether workers understand what inappropriate behaviour is and whether workers feel secure to report inappropriate conduct.

The federal government was criticised for implementing only six of the 55 recommendations from the Respect@Work Report. The government responded by saying those amendments are practical and immediate initiatives, and that work on these issues will be ongoing. The legislative amendments are not perfect but are an effort to drive necessary change through law reform. The inclusion of sexual harassment as serious misconduct and a valid reason for dismissal reinforces the idea that taking strong action is appropriate to make workplaces fairer and more equal for all Australians, particularly women. However, while legislation is useful, legislation alone will not eradicate all forms of negative human behaviour. Nothing beats a mutually respectful workplace created by all co-workers and reinforced by management.

Watson is the GM – IR, Policy and Governance at The Real Media Collective.

outlined what they mean for business.

Charles

Sexual harassment is serious and can result in dismissal under new laws.

Depression - it’s more than just the blues

This issue Man Anchor founder Steven Gamble delves into depression –the second most common mental illness affecting Australians.

STEVEN GAMBLE

Ihave long been a believer that the key to generational change in the way we address mental health as a community and our own personal health is education. You don’t need to have a degree in clinical psychology or psychiatry to support positive mental wellbeing and I thought together we could have a basic look at a few of the mental illnesses that commonly affect Australians, the disorder, the risk factors and treatments.

For this article I thought we could look at the second most common mental illness in Australians – depression. One thing we all have in common is that at some point in our life we have all felt flat, down or some would say depressed to varied degrees from a relationship breakdown, loss of a loved one or that overwhelming feeling or thought of ‘I’m just over it’. The common signs of a depressed mood are negative thoughts, loss of energy, loss of appetite and isolating from others.

While most depressive feelings go once you have faced the problem, built a strategy or passed through a mood-altering lived experience, many feelings can linger and persist for extended periods which start to impact an individual’s ability function and carry out tasks or affect their relationships. This indicates the individual may be living with a mood disorder or depression.

The signs and symptoms vary between individuals and disorders but commonly they affect a person’s thinking, feelings, behaviours and physical wellbeing.

Thinking: Self-criticism, self-blame, worry, pessimism, reduced concentration and memory, indecisiveness, confusion, a tendency to believe that others see you in a negative light, thoughts of suicide.

Feelings: Sadness, anxiety, guilt, anger, mood swings, lack of emotion, helpless or hopeless, irritability, impatience, anger, edgy or nervousness.

Behaviours: Avoidance of situations, withdrawn, distress in social situations, change in sleep patterns (more or less), loss of motivation, loss of passion, reduced interest in personal appearance, nonsuicidal self-injury and increased use of alcohol and drugs.

Physical: Fatigue, lack of energy, loss or increase of appetite, weight gain or loss, headaches and muscle pain and gastrointestinal problems, irregular menstrual cycle, loss in sexual desire.

When we run our educational programs on depression, we use a simple guide to understand whether an individual may be living with depression. If the person is living

with five of the below signs (this must include at least one of the first two highlighted) it is time to reach out to give or get support.

• A depressed mood that does not go away

• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities

• Lack of energy and tiredness

• Feeling worthless or guilty when not really at fault

• Thinking about death a lot or wishing they were dead

• Difficulty concentrating or making decisions

• Moving slowly or, sometimes becoming agitated and unable to settle

• Having sleeping difficulties or, sometimes sleeping too much

• Loss of interest in food, or, sometimes eating too much.

Mood disorders – the category depression falls under - are the second most common mental illnesses affecting Australians with over 6.2% of 16 to 85 year olds living with a mood disorder over a 12-month period. The median age of onset of a mood disorder is 25 - 7.1% of females and 5.3% of males aged between 16 and 85 live with a mood disorder in any one year.

Across the type of mood disorders in Australia we find major depressive mood disorder is the most common at 4.1% of Australians followed by bipolar disorder (previously known as manic depressive disorder) at 1.8%.

There are several factors both biological, social and environmental that can increase the risk of an individual developing a mood disorder, including those that have a more sensitive emotional nature, have had previous episodes of other disorders such as anxiety, are female, misuse of alcohol, long term illness, lack of close relationships, direct effect of other illness and medication, pregnancy and experiencing a traumatic

event. There are some family factors that can also increase risk such as those who have a family history of a disorder, abuse, poverty or hardship, separation, and divorce. So where can we seek support?

The easiest place to start is your local GP, from there you can receive a mental health plan which is a subsidised referral to either a counsellor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. With the mental health plan, you can receive anywhere between six to 20 bulkbilled or subsided sessions with a therapist. Alternatively, you can bypass the GP and go direct to a clinical professional.

Mood disorders have a variety of treatments depending on the diagnosis. Common areas for treatment include:

Psychological Therapies

• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) – this is where a therapist works with the patient on the thinking and thought process and associated behaviours.

• Behaviour therapy (Exposure therapy) –this is a gradual exposure to the phobia, supporting and reducing the fear as well as the anxiety associated.

• Self-help books and technology can also support the development of personal strategies for wellness.

• Interpersonal psychotherapy – resolving conflict with others, dealing with grief or change in relationships.

Medication

• There are a number of different medications that can support mood disorders; however, they vary from person to person and should be used with the support of a clinician.

Complementary and lifestyle

• Relaxation techniques – e.g. meditation and yoga

• Healthy diet

• Exercise

• Family support

Like any illness, physical or mental, the key to supporting positive health is prevention and early intervention. If we can acknowledge subtle changes in our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and our physical signs and symptoms early and seek clinical support, we can reduce the severity of the illness, reduce the recovery time and the risk of becoming unwell again. We all have the right to be healthy and would not hesitate to reach out for support if physically unwell so it’s important that we do the same for our mental health because in the end Health is Health.

If you need support Lifeline is there 24/7, 365 days a year, call 13 11 14.

The common signs of a depressed mood are negative thoughts, loss of energy, loss of appetite and isolating from others.

Tips to Boost Your Super

When it comes to your super and planning for your ideal retirement, every little bit counts. Media Super shares some simple steps which can help you make the most of your super so you can achieve your desired retirement lifestyle.

Many of us have multiple super accounts we’ve picked up as we changed jobs. Consolidating* your super is one of the most important steps you can take to make the most of your retirement income.

The sooner you consolidate your super into one account, the sooner you’ll stop paying unnecessary fees and have more to put towards your ideal retirement lifestyle.

By keeping all your super in one fund, you can maximise your compound returns because you’ll only be paying one set of fees and insurance premiums, meaning more of your money is invested and earning returns.

It’s easy to consolidate your super online without needing forms. Just log in to your Media Super account and follow the steps.

Remember to check your insurance cover or loss of benefits before closing accounts.

Find out more about consolidating your super at mediasuper.com.au/consolidate

Search for any lost super

According to Treasuryˆ, there’s approximately $13.8 billion in lost or inactive super accounts in Australia.

Super often becomes lost when someone changes their name, address, joins a new fund or switches jobs. Lost super can be hard to avoid if you’ve worked several casual, freelance, and part-time jobs or moved around a lot.

If your super fund doesn’t have your current address and has been unable to contact you, and you’ve had no contributions or rollovers into your account in the last 12 months, your super must be treated as lost, and will then be reported to the ATO where they will try and match it to an existing super account.

If you think you might have lost super, find out how you can locate it via our website, mediasuper.com.au/lost

Make personal contributions

The bulk of your super will come from employer contributions but making even small personal contributions over time can make a big difference to your retirement savings.

Keep in mind that if you’re a freelancer or self-employed, you’re generally responsible for making your own super contributions.

Two easy ways to make contributions are: • Salary sacrifice – an agreement with your

This graph is based on a 30-year-old with an annual income of $50,000 before tax, with a starting balance of $25,000, making additional contributions via salary sacrifice, retiring at age 67. (Industry SuperFunds ‘Add extra to your super’ calculator, https://www.calc.help/industrysuper/add-extra-to-your-super).

employer to pay some pre-tax salary into your super • Voluntary contributions – payments made after tax as a regular or one-off payment If you make personal contributions, you may be eligible for a government co-contribution, depending on your income. Your personal contributions are fully tax deductible.

Making contributions at any stage will help boost your balance; but because of compounding interest, contributions you make early in your working life will have a greater impact.

Use our online Contributions Optimiser Calculator to explore your options and see for yourself the difference personal contributions can make over time, mediasuper.com.au/ calculators

Our Helpline team can help you work out a customised contribution strategy that will maximise your contributions to help your super balance grow faster.

Know your investment options

If you haven’t made an investment choice, your money will most likely be in Media Super’s Balanced (MySuper) option.

Everyone has different investment needs based on your life stage, financial situation and how ‘hands on’ you want to be, so there may be a better option for you. Read through your available investment options and make the right choice for you.

Generally, when you’re younger, you may want to invest in growth options as you have a longer investment timeframe and usually can afford to take more risk. As you get older, you may gradually move to more conservative investments aimed at reducing volatility and preserving your balance.

Media Super has a wide range of investment options from pre-mixed options to single-asset options and a direct investment option. Find out more at mediasuper.com.au/investments.

We’re here to help

Media Super is committed to providing you with the right resources that help you achieve your retirement goals. If you have questions about your investment options, making contributions, or need account or transaction support, call the Helpline on 1800 640 886 between 8.00am and 7.00pm AEST/AEDT on weekdays.

Rapida 106 X

The fastest job changeovers –so that you can exceed your goals

The Rapida 106 X maximizes every second for the highest productivity. Industry-leading technology ensures the fastest throughput. Print at up to 20,000 sheets per houreven in perfecting. Plate and substrate logistics, parallel makeready processes and digital services are among the benefits which help you always surpass your goals.

Rapida 106 X . The new p erformance b enchmark in industrial printing.

rapida106x.koenig-baue r.com/en

rapida106x.koenig-baue r.com/en Koenig

Koenig & Bauer (AU) Pty Ltd

Unit 32/15 Ricketts Road Mount Waverley, VIC 3149 Australia

Ph: 0419 616427

www.koenig-bauer.com/en

IVE Group turns 100

Australia’s largest diversified marketing, communications and printing company, IVE Group, is celebrating its centenary, marking 100 years since Oscar Selig started local Sydney newspaper, The Link.

When Oscar Selig returned from World War I and started The Link newspaper in Sydney’s Balmain in March 1921, it is unlikely he would have foreseen what the business would evolve into.

Published from a humble shopfront in Balmain, The Link connected the communities of Balmain, Rozelle, Glebe, and surrounding suburbs for decades. Led by Gordon Selig, Oscar’s son, the newspaper evolved into a commercial printing business called Link Printing.

Now 100 years later the business has evolved and diversified in its continued push to innovate and stay ahead of the curve to be where it is today, Australia’s largest diversified marketing, communications, and printing business, IVE Group.

One of Oscar’s grandsons, Geoff Selig, is the Executive Chairman of IVE Group, with brother Paul still actively involved as an Executive Director of the business. Geoff was just four when Oscar passed away and he recently reflected on his grandfather and the genesis of IVE.

“He was by all accounts quite a local identity in the area. He was heavily involved in the Jewish community and the reason he called it The Link was because it linked up suburbs in the inner west, Balmain, Rozelle and Glebe and so on,” he said.

“He liked being out in the local community selling advertising space and mixing with people, so I think starting the newspaper was partly a lifestyle thing. Everybody loved him.”

When Geoff finished his accounting degree he came on board as Financial Controller.

His older brother, Paul, later also joined, along with youngest brother, Graham.

Together the Seligs ran Link Printing, which each year turned over around $30 million, until 1997 when they sold to New Zealand-based Blue Star Print Group. The family could see the market was becoming more demanding in terms of the products, services and scale required.

“We recognised in the late 1990s that remaining ‘just a printer’ would ultimately leave us exposed,” Geoff said.

“It is the push and pull really. Our clients were asking us to provide a broader offering, whilst at the same time we saw the opportunity to lead our clients into other areas. Ultimately, it was, and remains, about evolving and developing an offer that is relevant with our clients’ ever-changing requirements in the marketing communications space. I feel strategically we have executed very well on this strategy over the last 20 years.”

Diversification strategy

This decision would set in train an expansion and diversification strategy that allowed the business to flourish and move beyond sheetfed printing into logistics, creative and web offset printing.

After a number of ownership changes over the years, the Selig family acquired Blue Star’s Australian business once again in late 2012, followed by a resumption of a strategic acquisition program to continue the growth and diversification of the Group.

This included growing their data driven communications division, a move into retail display, customer experience/marketing, large format web offset printing and most recently into letterbox distribution through the acquisition of Salmat early in 2020.

“Ultimately over the last 20 years we’ve executed on the strategy to not just stay as a sheet-fed printing business. The breadth and depth of our offer has validated our thinking and our strategic decision to diversify has resulted in the strength and resilience of our business today,” Geoff said.

The company listed as IVE Group in December 2015 – a name coined by Geoff’s daughter, Sarah, for the number of photonic and creative derivatives carried in the three letters.

“We’ve completed two capital raises since we listed, and this has enabled us to expedite and amplify our expansion plans because we have had access to capital since 2015 as a public company. This has resulted in the business doubling in size and earnings in that period,” Geoff said.

“We retained the name Blue Star and then when we listed in 2015, we listed as IVE, but Blue Star was still part of the business until we went to one IVE brand for the entire business late in November 2019.”

Solid foundations

IVE Group CEO Matt Aitken entered the frame in 1998 when he arrived in Sydney to set up New Zealand creative agency, Dunham Bremmer, a then recent acquisition by Blue Star. This was when he and the Seligs began working together with Matt eventually taking on the role of IVE Group’s Chief Executive Officer following a number of other senior roles within the Group over many years.

“We have been incredibly fortunate to have staff who have been here for a long, long time,” Matt said.

IVE Group’s Chief Financial Officer Darren Dunkley has now notched 23 years

Oscar Selig started what is now IVE Group 100 years ago in Balmain after returning from World War I.

The Link community newspaper connected Sydney’s inner west suburbs of Balmain, Rozelle and Glebe.

with the business, while Glen Draper has held a number of positions in the business over the last 25 years, more recently as CEO of the Group’s integrated marketing division. Cliff Brigstocke, a former CEO of Opus Group, also brings deep experience and knowledge to IVE and is currently CEO of the Group’s production and distribution division. Darryl Meyer also has been with the Group for 20 years and is the CEO of the web offset division.

More recent additions have also been made with Sean Smith, who was formerly with Isentia, now CEO of the Data Driven Communications arm of the business, and Rob Draper serving as Chief Marketing Officer after previously working at WPP.

“This is a sector that has undergone a lot of structural change and has been challenged for the last 20 years and this has also coincided with the digital revolution. What is important for us is that we have

people running the business who understand the complexity of the sector we operate in,” Geoff said.

“Matt has been CEO now for just over two years and has operated in the environment for over 23 years. Having someone at the helm who understands the business both from a commercial and a people perspective is incredibly important because this is not a one-dimensional sector.

“It is a complex, difficult sector to be in and you need the right people to navigate the way through – this is even more so over the last 18 months.”

This strong foundation is also reflected in the business acquisitions IVE Group has made with many of the businesses purchased also being family-run multi-generation operations.

“We have bought so many companies that had been around for such a long time including the Taylor family’s third generation Franklin Web business, Kings Mailing, Lilyfield Printing, the McMillan Group, and also Craftsman Press which dates back to 1926,” Matt said, adding the family-run and multi-generational ownership of these acquisitions played well with the culture at IVE Group.

“We have many wonderful staff in our businesses and many of these people have come into our business through acquisitions we have made. They have and continue to enrich our culture.

“That is the DNA of our business. I know lots of people talk about people, but I think we have lots of very genuine real-life examples of this. We have talented and committed people working right across our company, we even have people working for us who were our clients.”

FY21 results success

There are not many publicly listed companies which have a 100-year history and a financial position which allows them to invest, particularly in a post-COVID environment.

But IVE Group is among them having posted a strong full year 2021 result with EBITDA of $100.2 million, which exceeded guidance off revenues of $660 million.

Matt says despite two COVID-impacted years the business has performed very well through the period delivering solid numbers in both 2020 and 2021, despite some revenue volatility and reductions.

The company recorded a net profit after tax of $20 million with an operating cashflow of $97 million with the divestment of IVE’s outbound call centre in Brisbane and strong cashflows resulting in a reduction of $60 million in net debt.

IVE’s 1600 employees have recently been gifted 500 IVE Group shares in appreciation

Oscar Selig was well known and liked which made running a local newspaper a perfect fit for him.

Ringing the bell on a new chapter: (L-R) Paul, Gordon and Geoff Selig mark a new stage in the company’s evolution with the business listed on the Australian Securities Exchange as IVE Group in December 2015.

IVE Group CEO Matt Aitken

of their efforts to deliver above and beyond to support the company through the pandemic.

“From our perspective, the fundamentals that underpin our business today are the same as they were 25 years ago and 100 years ago. It’s our people and culture, our customerfirst philosophy, and the significant and ongoing investment in our asset base and operations,” Matt said.

Vision for the future

With a healthy FY21 result in, IVE is now turning to the future.

The company has earmarked $30-40 million for the next phase of its strategic roadmap, and expects to see a range of attractive acquisition opportunities over the next 12-24 months.

“We have a number of growth strategies in play but there are three key areas where we are planning to grow,” Matt said.

“We have committed $3.5 million over the year ahead on re-platforming and relaunching Lasoo, the aggregated digital catalogue business we acquired last year.

“Over the next two to three years we will transform Lasoo to drive better consumer experiences and outcomes for our retail clients.

“It is hard to miss the insatiable global appetite for fibre-based packaging over plastic, so over the next 18-24 months we plan to expand our existing operations and look for attractive bolt-on acquisitions.

“And we plan to significantly grow our third-party logistics business. We already have 45,000 square metres of warehousing and logistics space across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, but we see an opportunity to grow outside what we’re doing today.”

Reflecting on 100 years, Geoff’s pride in his family is unmistakeable.

“I’m really proud of what my grandfather Oscar, my father Gordon, my brothers Paul and Graham, and I have achieved over the last 100 years,” he said.

“We couldn’t have done any of it without our wonderful people, who today remain core to the underlying resilience and strength of our business.” PP

IVE Group is now Australia’s largest diversified marketing and printing company with 1600 dedicated staff.

This photo from the 1960s shows Link Printing in its early days in Balmain - a far cry from the sleek operations now owned by IVE Group.

Where it all began: The Link had all the news in 1921.

The Special T Factor

that I hadn’t told you the truth, I would feel really quite bad,” London told ProPrint during our mid-COVID lockdown interview.

This approach is what he uses across his business which he started in 2010 and now employs 15 people with clientele in the design, publishing, medical, construction, hospitality, and events sectors.

“Our business is about being fair to our team, our clients, our suppliers and our competitors,” he said.

By Sheree Young

Corey London swapped a career as a chef for a life in print at the age of 20. Nowadays he owns and runs Special T Print in Sydney’s Kingsgrove on a tried-and-true recipe of honesty, trusting your gut and an unwavering commitment that all customers shall receive the ‘Special Treatment’.

It sounds a bit like Colonel Sanders’ 11 special herbs and spices, but when you believe honesty is the best policy and still have Mum’s advice to not worry about what people think about you ringing in your ear, London says it isn’t really that complicated.

“I am a genuinely very honest person so if I got off the phone from you today and knew

factfile

Age: 11 years Staff: 15

Strategy: Ensuring all customers receive the ‘ Special Treatment’ so they have no reason not to come back. A commitment to price jobs appropriately so they find their correct place in the market.

This is reflected in the company’s sales strategies which London says could not be more different to the traditional sales style that was popular in the 1990s and early 2000s when he first started the business.

He says long lunches and a few beers at the pub could have meant more business a few years back, but nowadays it’s a lot more than that and no one has the time.

The way he sees it is printers are the Panadol for a client’s headache. Selling ink on paper just isn’t going to cut it and printers need to be like a business coach, counsellor, solutions provider, and all-round trusted advisor to help customers get on track and thrive.

“Special T and our clients have a common goal and it’s all related to the end result,” London said.

“It’s not all about print, having the big presses, the large format section, multiple trucks on the road, the big warehouse. There are many ingredients to being your client’s printer of choice. There is more to it than that.

“It’s more got to do with how much you can help your client, how much can your client help you. There is a huge element of trust involved. They come to us with a challenge, and we’ve got to offer the right solutions.”

London says he is blessed to have learnt from the best after he swapped life in a restaurant

Corey London, Special T Print

that.

kitchen – too many late nights and too much travel – for one behind a printing press.

His first job was as a delivery driver for Michael Boceski at Rainbow Printing in Rydalmere.

From there he moved to Chippendale Printing where he completed his printing apprenticeship under Ed Gardner and Phil Hanks. This led to a printing role at Websdale Printing with Tom Pongrass, to which he moved into production and sales and forged a long-term friendship with Michael Morley who joined the company from Potstill Press.

In 2016, London consulted with a business coach with the learnings still being used today.

“She taught me to look at how I react to things, and how to not react too quickly. I also learnt a lot about being proactive and if I do have to react how to take my time to make sure I’m making the right decision,” he said.

In 2019, London joined together with his long-term industry friend and competitor, Adrian Blessington, from Green and Gold.

It’s not all about print, having the big presses, the large format section, multiple trucks on the road, the big warehouse. There are many ingredients to being your client’s printer of choice. There is more to it than

Value is hard to define but Special T Print director, Corey London, says printers must find a way to price it right to ensure their sustainability and rightful place in the market.

The team at Sydney’s Special T Print have known each other for many years and enjoy working in a positive environment.

“Our friendship, like-minded approach and expertise brought us together and our only regret is we didn’t do it years earlier,” London said.

All these people were instrumental in getting London to where he is today.

“Everyone that I worked for I looked up to and thought I would love to end up as successful as they are and be respected like they are, so I thought how do you do that?” London said.

“Well, it is with honesty and doing the right thing and doing your best, so I have always tried to be honest in all of my dealings.

“If you are honest and you do a good job and you try and do the right thing you are going to end up in a pretty good spot.

“What I was able to witness when I was younger is why my business is what it is today. In 11 years, we have established a very stable team of long-term employees. Two members of the team have been with me from day one.

“A huge benefit to our team is that the core group of us have all known each other or worked together previously.

“Having a previous relationship with a new team member promotes respect and honesty, where they are never afraid to offer advice with better, smarter ways to do things in all areas of the business.

“This is a family business, and everyone can think freely, work freely, and run off each other. We try to run a business that is on gutfeel rather than out of a textbook.”

The approach is working, despite 18 months of deep uncertainty with COVID and repeated lockdowns.

“COVID has impacted everyone in some way. We have tried to be there for our staff as best we could, we were quite lucky that we had work every day albeit reduced hours, but we did keep ticking along,” he said.

“We tried to support all of our customers and suppliers and it seems as though the majority would continue on. But with the second lockdown in 2021 we are in uncharted waters but again we will stick to our strategy and be there again to do what we can.”

The challenge of pricing

Price undercutting is a challenge in print and one that London emphatically says is not part of his game plan.

At Special T the price that’s in the quote is the price, cost plus mark-up, it’s as simple as that. When customers are comparing quotes, it is always important to compare apples with apples, he says.

If a competitor’s price is significantly lower, London will look at what can be done but it’s always difficult to drop a price to win the job.

“Sometimes I am left scratching my head and I double check the pricing to make sure we didn’t make an error,” he said.

“We win work on quality, service, expertise, guidance and a guarantee that the job will be done well and on time. We are not the most expensive and we are not the cheapest, but we try to offer rates that are cost plus mark-up. It’s the simplest way to price your work.

“The mark-up helps to secure the future of your business. Whether it be capital

investment, an urgent repair, or maybe to ensure the business makes a profit. It all adds up. Doing any job below cost to win it isn’t fair on anyone. Our clients, our suppliers and our competitors will all be affected by this strategy.

“You can’t just run a business on cost as you’ve got fixed costs, variable costs. It is not all about paper, ink and labour.”

This brings London to the slippery and difficult to quantify concept of value.

Quantifying value

Value is what London believes Special T brings, from the ‘special treatment’ his customers get with the solutions and concepts his team deliver. This value must also be built into the cost but valuing it properly is not easy.

“Just say we quote a job at $10,000 and the customer comes back and says they have a quote that is 10 per cent lower, it becomes a hard thing to put into context,” he said.

“We always try and price a job correctly the first time so that it finds its place in the market.

“If we feel a job may be out of reach or over a customer’s budget, we discuss alternatives with them that may still work well.

“In the cost of a print job what are you paying for?

“There are the raw materials and the labour but there is also expertise, care,

guarantee, trust ¬ there is a lot of things that go into our price.”

Whilst many facets of print have gone online, London believes in the value of print.

“Value doesn’t always mean price, it means who values the print job and what it is worth to your business and your customers,” he said.

London has some great success stories of customers who have reaped the rewards of continuing to invest in print, while those who have dumped it to go online have suffered.

He says the online shift and price pressures mean the print industry is the only one that has become cheaper over time.

“Technology has improved and has many benefits, but equipment is more than it was 10 years ago,” he said. “Paper, ink, labour, machinery are the costs of upkeep of a business, and it is very expensive.”

It does present a conundrum of sorts, but London is not phased. “Our business has always regarded our quality and level of service as the most important investment,” he said.

“Starting off as a small offset printer we have now pushed the business into digital, large format and warehouse and distribution.

“COVID did put the brakes on some of our expansion plans, but we are back on track to launch some new services at the end of 2021 around warehousing and distribution.” PP

Corey London swapped a career as a chef for printing at age 20 and has no regrets with his decision.

The Special T Print team working hard to find and deliver the best solution for clients.

South Australia celebrates PICAs

The South Australian Printing Industry Creativity Awards were held at the National Wine Centre of Australia in Adelaide on September 16 after the event was delayed due to ongoing COVID-19 border closures and lockdowns.

1. Cutler Brands team (L-R) Andrew Creighton, Lauren Docking, Carlo Dimasi & Tiina Pentinkorpi accepting their award

Lindsay Scott, Ball & Doggett chats with Philip Smith, Kwik Kopy Norwood

Darren McInnes of MCC Labels catches up with colleagues

David Shaw of Ricoh, one of the sponsors of the awards night

Rob Rogers of Detpak Cartons in conversation

Andrew Creighton and Lauren Docking from Cutler Brands

Jason Gentle of Fotobase Group accepting an award

David Bland of Media Super chats to Thomas Hendrick

Sandy Aspinall of Creative Juice

. Jason Gentle and Craig Nothard of Fotobase Group

Nic Rollison of MCC Labels is presented with his award by PVCA’s Walter Kuhn 12 MCC Labels team (L-R) Mark Millington, Paul Nicholson, Daren Hudson, Marc Richter, Nic Rollison & Andrew Reynolds 13. Phil Mudge, Laneprint Group (C) chats to Don Kouimanis (L) and John McGuiness from sponsors Orafol Australia 14 Lindsay Scott, Jason Gentle and Craig Nothard, Fotobase Group 15. Tiina Pentinkorpi celebrates Cutler Brands performance with Damian Penneck 16. Russell Stevens, CCL Label and Lindsay Scott, Ball & Doggett 17. Walter Kuhn, PVCA and Carlo Dimasi, Cutler Brands 18. Thomas Hendrick was the MC at the event 19 Russell Stevens, CCL Label and Walter Kuhn 20 Natalie Dimasi, Cutler Brands

JTS Engineering diversifies with the times

When you add it up the team at JTS Engineering – Jim Strounis (Director), Mal Winzer (Operations Manager) and Scott Mohammed (Service and Accounts Manager) – have over 90 years of combined industry experience and now they are diversifying into new areas including custom fabrication, project management and general engineering solutions.

The company’s team of mechanical and electrical engineers also share a passion for the print industry, with many of them being either OEM factory trained or printers themselves.

They possess specialist technical skills and a solid understanding of a broad range of printing presses, packaging machines, finishing equipment and other related machinery.

To maximise this talent pool, JTS Engineering Services – which has been servicing the industry now for eight years –recently took on a workshop in Sydney’s Fairfield so it can handle more diverse work including equipment modifications, servicing, rebuilds and custom fabrications.

A full-time machinist with over 40 years’ experience has also been employed in the workshop. Scott says the expanded service offering goes beyond traditional press dismantle and rebuild work and into areas that can help existing equipment be more productive.

“We are able to make up parts which could be obsolete and give new life to older equipment. We can provide custom solutions for customers from an engineering perspective. We now offer a more complete package as an engineering business,” he said.

In terms of fabrication work, JTS Engineering Services recently assisted a customer by fabricating a purpose-built handling system to the exact specifications required, as nothing off the shelf was suitable.

While the company is exploring new diversifications, it continues to hold firm to its heritage and with customers including IVE Group, Ovato, Bright Print Group, Spotpress, Westrock and Graphic Packaging International it is easy to understand why. Jim said, “We want to maintain our core

business of servicing the printing and packaging industry. We are also excited to announce the commencement of our partnership with Longer Machine Industrial Co, as our first agency.

“We all have backgrounds in the industry, and we all have a passion for it. Many of our biggest customers are printers, so we still want to support Australian printers, however, we have realised we need to diversify and are now offering a more complete package. So, now rather than just call us for a breakdown, we would like the industry to know there are many other areas in which we can assist them whether that be on the fabrication side, with project management or for new equipment.”

He added that JTS Engineering’s core business has always been responsiveness, which is required in the printing game.

“We want to be responsive to our customers, but we also want to offer more than just the printing machine breakdown response. We now offer a more complete package for our customers,” Jim said.

“So, if you need a printing machine moved but if there is anything else you may have engineering related, we can also help with that.”

Skilled engineers

Jim says there has been somewhat of a talent drain in Australia, especially when it comes to skilled technicians who really understand print and packaging machinery.

“We have found there is a lot of skills and knowledge that have left our industry,” Scott said.

“Rather than just build a team with a bunch of guys so we can send someone out and show face, we have built a strong team of guys who do quality work and have solid backgrounds.

“So, even if they are not a dedicated ‘branded’ engineer, they are highly skilled and specialised in the industry with deep industry knowledge.”

“Each type and brand of machine has different intricacies, so you need an understanding of this,” adds Scott.

“Our guys have experience in a wide range of areas so we can definitely have a look at any job.”

For more information about JTS Engineering Services and how they could help you, please call Jim on 0433 100 243 or Scott on 0431 887 501, or visit www.jtsengineering.com.au.

JTS Engineering is well known for repairing, dismantling and moving printing and packaging machinery and now it has diversified into project management, custom fabrications, and general engineering solutions.

Diversifying with new engineering services: JTS Engineering’s Jim Strounis and Scott Mohammed.

The Dimense 3D Printing System leaves all others floundering…

metres – amazing considering the precise detail it produces.

The printers combine wide format inkjet, and digital calendar in the same device, unusual in itself. It uses a dependable wideformat inkjet technology, making it extremely efficient and cost effective.

Having to do repeat patterns is ancient history. These printers can produce a precision piece of any size, colour, or shape, with a variety of finishing choices. Choices are:

DEFINITION… just extraordinary! Uses for the Dimense printing systems are only limited by your imagination.

World-wide these printers are used for:

• Wallpaper decor

• Packaging

• Point of sale products

• Specialist signage

• Art works – both original and copies

• Cement and plaster design

• Roll ups

• Canvas works

The Dimense range of printers are unlike anything ever seen before in Australia.

Commercially viable, unique in the field of digital printing, and the greenest system on the market. Machines with staggering abilities to do what NO OTHERS can.

Every business wants to add dollars to their bottom line.

For some the struggle to do so has never been greater. As business becomes more challenging by the day, all are searching for a point of difference. A difference that puts you ahead of the rest. Well… great news for the printing industry ¬ the opportunity has arrived. These Dimense printers will open the doors to value and add another high margin revenue stream to your business.

How can we make the above statement?

Well, there are so many exciting, compelling, and common-sense reasons, it’s hard to know where to start.

So, what do these Dimense S Printers allow you to do?

The pioneering technology of Dimense is truly unique.

It prints and embosses in one simple process… yes, a one step process. Structure and motif can be perfectly matched, printing 20 square metres per hour at a width of 1.6

• Matte – The brightest colours can be used, producing stunning results.

• Gold – Unbelievable media finish. Must see it to believe it.

• Pearlescent – Adds the wow factor to any print.

• Chameleon – Perfectly suited to advertising, packaging, and interior decors.

• Media Plus – Gives an enhanced embossing effect, up to 1.5mm.

• Silver – Wherever a Metallic finish is required.

Never has Digital Printing been this exciting. Imagine your scope of choice, not constrained by size, patterns, designs or repeats.

The possibilities you can provide customers are endless. The specialist finishes need to be seen and felt, to be fully appreciated.

As interior designer and decorator Kaz, from Kaz Samson Lifestyle, said: “I only fully appreciated the product when I physically saw and touched it. It blew me away!”

There is nothing comparable to these printers in the marketplace. A big statement – but true nonetheless… and the good news just keeps coming.

Can you believe these printers print MOULDS used to create custom shapes in cement and plaster, GIVING TREMENDOUS

• Posters

The list goes on…

The Dimense System is totally green. All products used in the process are non-toxic, all certified harmless with the Eco-Institut-Label in Europe.

• PVC free

• Plasticizers free

• Free from harmful ingredients

For those who value our environment, this is great news. You can now choose a product that is environmentally safe with outstanding finishing qualities without compromise. In fact, there is no better finish – period!

All inks used are water-based latex, another huge plus for the Dimense system.

Dimense Australia do everything in their power to hold printers, materials, and inks on hand to keep your business rolling. All components are stocked locally.

The package includes: Dimense S Printer, ink system, media, design support, and of course, training. Every machine is backed by a 12-month warranty.

Abe Weiszberger of Stick On Signs has made a strong commitment and investment to bring this system into Australasia. He and his team believe it will add a new dimension to the digital print industry.

For more information about the range, please email sales@dimense.com.au.

Dimense Australia is excited to bring acclaimed European made digital printers and printing systems to our Australasian shores.

The specialist finishes need to be seen and felt to be fully appreciated. The Dimense S series combines wide format inkjet with a digital calendar in the same device.

Digital in the driver’s seat

In Australia’s commercial pressroom, digital printing is flourishing in areas where flexibility, versatility and run length are no longer a trade-off with speed and quality.

By Peter Kohn

As we continue through the 2020s, we are seeing a printing industry in which digital is very much in ascendancy, with plate preparation and makeready – the hallmarks of analogue lithography – only resorted to where offset and other forms of non-digital print are optimal.

With no plate production required and no need to run up to colour, makeready times and the associated waste are not nearly as dominant a consideration as they were even five years ago.

The maturation of commercial digital platforms, including high-speed inkjet production in B2 and B1 formats is causing landmark changes. And personalisation and variable data printing further make the argument for digital adoption.

A recent Smithers survey of the printing industry found that a defining factor for graphics, packaging and publication printing in the next decade will be adjusting to demands for shorter and faster print runs. This will reshape the cost dynamics of print buying and create added imperatives to invest in new equipment, even as the commercial landscape emerges from COVID-19.

The report identified increased investment in digital – both inkjet and toner – by print service providers due to cost efficiencies and more frequent changeovers on short-run work. It also predicts inkjet press quality will continue to improve. The latest generation of digital technology is rivalling the quality of established analogue platforms, such as offset litho, eroding a major technical barrier to shorter run commissions.

It also forecasts that the installation of superior digital print engines will coincide with greater automation on flexo and litho

print lines – such as fixed gamut printing, automatic colour correction, and robotic plate mounting – increasing the crossover range of work in which digital and analogue are in direct competition

Meanwhile, inhouse binderies have kept pace with the new wave of digital kit, offering finishing technologies that complete the digital workflow, almost always as part of a handshake with existing offset processes.

ProPrint spoke to several Australian vendors of digital printing and finishing technology about the latest innovations.

PRESSES

Currie Group

“In the new normal after the outbreak of the pandemic, we see there is a trend for merger or crossover segment opportunity between market and customers,” notes Anthony Jackson, Currie Group’s National Sales Manager, Commercial HP Indigo.

“Print service providers are looking for new opportunities to grow their business through cross segments. Under these kinds of market changes, we strongly believe that HP Indigo is the best technology to fulfil these cross segments. HP Indigo is the one digital solution provider which has a comprehensive portfolio to cover commercial, photo, label, packaging, folding cartons, security, publishing, direct mail, and so on.

“Beyond this comprehensive portfolio, we have the right talent with successful business experience and expertise in each segment which makes us the market leader.”

HP Indigo has officially released all its new HP Indigo portfolio including commercial digital presses, plus digital presses for labels and packaging. These are the HP Indigo 7K Digital Press in A3 format and HP Indigo 15K/15K HD/100K in B2 format. Says Jackson, “HP Indigo was the first

to launch all its new products in the COVID19 era, and we continue to deliver a proven track record built on innovation and partnership.”

Jackson points to the features and advantages in the new portfolio. The HP Indigo 7K presses feature special ink and a broader range of substrates, built into a premium quality, robust press to help commercial print businesses maximise productivity and save cost. And he says HP Indigo 15K/15HD presses offer a broad range of applications within the core HP Indigo brand value of uncompromised offsetmatching print quality and high productivity.

The press offers a variety of print quality modes. It features FM screening for the sharpest, smoothest prints possible, eliminating moiré effects for detailed images or photos, halftone text and more. It offers superior capabilities for small solid text and fine lines, and achieves optimal colour across HP Indigo presses, sites, and between HP Indigo and offset.

“Also, most of these new technologies and features are available for previous models and

The HP Indigo 100K Digital Press has the capability of producing 6,000 sheets per hour.

are field-upgradable through value packs,” notes Jackson. “This kind of upgradability and compatibility is one of the key benefits of HP Indigo to ensure longevity of our customers’ investment which allow them to continue to expand their business growth with new applications.”

Meanwhile, the new HP Indigo 100K Digital Press is the world’s most productive B2 digital solution, with true digital non-stop print capabilities, at 6,000 sheets per hour, says Jackson. It produces innovative jobs back-to-back, with true non-stop digital print capabilities. The 100K provides high reliability and predictability, which are expected from a press that is targeted to the highest production volumes.

“It achieves true non-stop digital print through advanced automation, enabling continuous feeding, continuous stacking, and

continuous colour calibration without interrupting production. And it offers immediate switchover between jobs with different media types, and multiple input and output media sources.”

Jackson notes that offset volumes have been declining for years, while digital has been growing. “This is driven by ongoing trends in the commercial printing market such as increasing demand for personalised and targeted products, online ordering becoming a standard, commoditisation of commercial print products, sustainability and local production, and supply-chain transition to more agile and efficient procedures.

“These trends have also increased the share of short and medium runs of the overall print volume. But analysis still shows that with many PSPs, most short and

medium runs are still printed on offset. So, HP Indigo solutions have always been developed with offset-to-digital transition in mind. In terms of these trends, an important requirement is a hybrid and compatible digital/analogue printing environment.”

Fujifilm Business Innovation Australia

Fujifilm Business Innovation Australia has two new toner-driven production printer models under its new Revoria brand, reports Darren Yeates, the company’s Senior Marketing Manager of Graphic Communications Services. The Revoria PC1120 is a production colour printer for the high-end professional printing market, while the Revoria E1 series is a monochrome production printer. “Both presses have been designed with our customers in mind and boast a raft of new features which are perfect for Australian businesses that want greater flexibility, productivity, quality and are looking to expand into new markets,” Yeates explains.

The PC1120 opens the door to new opportunities and revenue streams, he says, adding it offers on-demand, luxury print opportunities. “Through the use of specialty colours such as gold, silver, white, pink, and clear, you can produce higher-value print such as luxury brand promotional material.

“This press also enables a broad range of applications from publications to packaging, thanks to innovative new features like the air suction feeder and static eliminator which make media handling a breeze – and that includes synthetic material – while streamlining your operations and improving productivity.”

He adds that the Revoria PC1120 is suitable for all general print applications by any commercial print-for-pay providers, in-plant facilities, designers and marketing agencies.

Key features and benefits of the PC1120 include a one-pass, six-colour print engine, up to two special toners in addition to the basic CMYK toners, artificial Intelligence (AI) image corrections for automatic image enhancement, and an air suction feeder and static removal device for highly stable paper feeding with a wide variety of media, such as cohesive coated paper and film.

Innovations in digital printing including personalisation and variable data are ensuring its ascendancy continues.

The new Revoria PC1120 from Fujifilm Business Innovation Australia has been designed for the high-end professional printing market.

Furthermore, says Yeates, the expanded colour gamut with fluorescent pink toner creates vivid colours and smoother skin tones. High-speed printing at 120 pages per minute with a high resolution of 2,400 dpi and Super EA-Eco toner provide high definition with ultra fine particle toner. And a versatile inline post-processing line-up can be used for paper folding, saddle stitching and three-way trimming.

Meanwhile, the monochrome Revoria E1 series has been designed for office and professional print environments, with a print speed as high as 136ppm (A4). It uses an EA-Eco toner with a very fine particle grade for 2400dpi imaging.

Yeates sees digital presses as complimentary to the conventional offset process. “Digital can exceed the capabilities of conventional offset printing with quality, colour gamut and flexibility – while analogue printing methods may still be cost effective for longer run jobs.”

HP Australia HP is offering its new HP PageWide Web Press T250 HD, featuring HP Brilliant Ink, in the lucrative high-volume inkjet production space. The T250 is an upgrade to HP’s customer-proven T240 HD Press, says Tony Paguirigan, Category Manager, Asia-Pacific region, at HP. “The new press is positioned to capture more commercial print work that has traditionally been run on offset litho presses,” he notes, adding that the T250 HD, a 22-inch web configuration, offers three modes –performance, quality, and performance HDK.

“HP’s new digital press is an all-digital solution to high-quality printing on offset coated and uncoated media, including gloss, matte, and silk. The new press offers ROI with a low comparative running cost per page. PageWide is a proven press platform with more than ten years in production environments worldwide and more than 35 years in inkjet technology R&D,” he says.

Moreover, HP’s Brilliant Ink is a game changer, says Paguirigan. “It enables efficiencies while delivering a more vivid colour gamut with outstanding results across a broad range of substrates, including offset coated and uncoated media, and more.

“HP Brilliant Ink has specifically been formulated for commercial markets. It sets a new standard for high-volume production

inkjet, enabling more applications –commercial, direct mail, publishing, and transactional – by printing directly to uncoated and coated offset media, all in one press. This versatility allows you to meet your customers’ demands. And it’s upgradable to keep you on track to deliver every new trend for many years to come.”

Kodak Australasia

Robert Mollee, Sales Director, A/NZ, for Kodak Australasia, says Kodak’s continuous inkjet technology provides high-quality, highspeed colour printing with highly efficient water-based inks. “Kodak’s web-fed inkjet presses support cost-effective printing of medium and long runs with short lead times enabling printers to shift many jobs from traditional printing processes to digital, allowing them to expand into new businesses for greater revenue.”

The web-fed Kodak Prosper Ultra 520 prints at 150 metres per minute (more than 2,000 A4 pages per minute) on all paper grades with offset-like quality (200 lpi screen equivalent). It is two-to-three times faster than the competition in highest quality mode, says Mollee. It uses Kodak’s Ultrastream inkjet writing system, which enables the highly precise placement of smaller, perfectly round ink drops to produce the highest inkjet image quality available.

“The Prosper Ultra 520 press takes web-fed inkjet production printing to the next level to close the gap with offset,” explains Mollee. “It expands the range of potential applications

with its quality, speed and suitability for more different types of paper stock. It’s perfect for high-quality commercial applications like books and manuals, brochures and marketing collateral, direct mail, transaction and trans-promo documents or catalogues – even those with high ink coverage on glossy papers. Printers who have a digital print volume of around 10 million A4 pages per month can produce such jobs with the press in a profitable way.”

The Kodak Nexfinity digital press offers unprecedented versatility for handling a wide range of jobs with maximum productivity on a sheetfed electrophotographic press.

Nexfinity features maximum flexibility for commercial printers regarding substrate types, sheet sizes and thicknesses, along with production, using a wide selection of special inks for digital print embellishment in its fifth imaging unit.

Mollee says the Nexfinity is a commercial printer’s “digital Swiss knife”. “Thanks to its robust sheetfed press design, it can also serve as a digital service provider’s sole or main production facility. Nexfinity is a uniquely versatile digital press for the commercial market,” he said.

Typical applications, he says, are marketing collateral, direct mail, short-run publishing, photobooks, calendars, catalogues, manuals and labels. Due to its versatility and high performance, Nexfinity enables profitable production of a steady stream of short and medium runs.

But how compatible are Kodak’s digital offerings with an offset workflow? “All of Kodak’s digital presses are compatible with offset and other workflows as they can be integrated into the Kodak Prinergy workflow,” points out Mollee.

“Prinergy offers highly efficient support of both digital and conventional printing processes. This compatibility is enormously important because it helps to reduce manual touchpoints and to elevate productivity, regardless of the printing process used.”

Printers with digital volumes around 10 million A4 pages per month would benefit from a Kodak Prosper Ultra 520 press.

Konica Minolta Konica Minolta Australia Product Marketing Manager Tatjana Ferguson notes, “Last year we launched the AccurioPress C14000 series and AccurioJet KM-1e. This year is proving exciting with several new print systems all designed to ignite print possibilities. With the recent launch of the AccurioPress C7100 series, we complete the full refresh of our colour line up.”

Ferguson says the refreshed line-up offers an array of inbuilt and optional automation technologies, all designed to deliver greater productivity to commercial printers, and at the same time deliver exceptional print quality, consistently.

The range offers advanced media flexibility handling media weights from 52gsm up to 450gsm, long sheets in both simplex and auto duplex, and longer-life parts and consumables. There is also a choice of controller options for each digital print system, giving printers the flexibility to choose one that suits their workflow.

“The production line up is available with the revolutionary Intelligent Quality Optimiser, IQ-510, unique to Konica Minolta. Standard on the AccurioPress C14000 Series, but optional with others in the range,” says Ferguson.

“It guarantees only the best prints will leave your shop. This closed-loop system ensures automated colour control and registration accuracy, resulting in streamlined operator time, reduced print waste and improved productivity. Also available is the unique trimmer unit, TU-510 option. The trimmer unit can trim, crease and perforate inline. This means you can output finished documents ready to be boxed and shipped.”

The new range can help digital print providers with many applications and markets, she emphasises. “Exceptional print quality, extended media capability, powerful controller options and an array of inline finishing options means printers can meet just about any print requirement. And for the printers seeking the speed and flexibility of an offset press combined with the digital benefits of zero make-ready, the AccurioJet KM-1e is the answer. This B2+ UV inkjet press prints on 585mm x 750mm sheets, allowing for 6-up letter-size printing.”

Ferguson reflects, “Konica Minolta is very much focused on delivering innovation that can help printers succeed now and in the future. As a brand we’re committed to driving growth for businesses in the print industry with greater versatility across new markets, inspiring creative outputs, and newfound routes to efficiencies. Our solutions can help printers pivot to offer new services and applications, support different run lengths as well as add creativity and value to brands. We can also help printers realise new efficiencies with automated features that reduce manual touch points, improving output quality, productivity and ultimately profitability.”

Ricoh Australia

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the transition from offset lithography to digital print, finds Henryk Kraszewski, Senior Product and Marketing Manager at Ricoh Australia. “As offset print runs continue to shrink, that provides significant opportunities for digital presses with their ability to deliver high-quality output on almost any substrate – but with the ability to do so economically on runs from one to thousands.”

“The range of applications on digital presses today is virtually limitless,” he indicates, citing products including banners, decals, direct-mail pieces, flyers, invitations, gift boxes, photobooks, POS and posters. Very relevant to today’s retail conditions, he also cites in-store social distancing assets.

“All printers are fundamentally looking to increase revenue or reduce costs – or both,” explains Kraszewski. “Ricoh presses can help print providers build revenue by enabling them to offer a broader array of product offerings: a greater selection of stock types (coated, textured, synthetic, coloured, and so on), stock weights and sizes, finished product (bound, folded, hole punched) and/or embellished. The broader product offering can satisfy more requirements for existing clients – or attract new clients.

“On the cost side of the equation, Ricoh presses offer ease of use, high productivity, automated finishing, and high uptime – all designed to get more jobs produced per shift with minimal manual intervention.

“Investment requires a rapid ROI. The ability to produce a greater variety of print jobs, quicker, easier and with less labour than offset lithography – but with the print quality to match – means print providers can realise that magic formula of building revenue and reducing costs at the same time.”

Kraszewski reports that two of Ricoh’s most popular digital colour presses have recently been updated with new technologies – the Pro C9200 series introduces Auto Colour Diagnosis for improved colour quality and accuracy, and the Pro C7200X series introduces gold and silver toner for metallic printing.

The Pro C9200 series is a high-volume four-colour production press, capable of printing one million high-quality colour pages every month. Kraszewski says it is a proven workhorse with dozens of units operational in Australia producing hundreds of thousands of offset-quality jobs every day.

The new Auto Colour Diagnosis option for the Pro C9200 series introduces two key capabilities that will help print providers deliver higher-quality output more efficiently. Firstly, there is improved colour stability by

Konica Minolta’s Intelligent Quality Optimiser comes standard with the AccurioPress C14000.

High volumes: Ricoh Pro C9200 four-colour digital press

The Ricoh Pro C9200 now includes Auto Colour Diagnosis to improve quality and efficiency.

scanning every printed page and matching it against the ripped image data of that page and adjusting on-the-fly if any deviations are detected. Secondly, the Image Quality Monitor can detect streaks, spots and impurities, matching processed data against the printed image and highlighting issues to the operator.

“These two features combined provide a level of assurance on printed output, ensuring no defective printed products are delivered to customers. It eliminates the need for print operators to inspect work, thereby freeing them up to work on more profitable tasks and will enhance the reputation of the print provider for delivering high quality output that meet delivery times,” he says.

The Ricoh Pro C7200X series is a fivecolour digital press that enables print providers to produce unique applications that command premium prices, says Kraszewski.

“The multi-award winning Pro C7200X has firmly established itself as one of the most versatile digital presses available today with the ability to run high-opacity white or flood or spot clear on a diverse array of stocks to deliver high-value applications that stand out from competitors. Neon yellow or neon pink can add visual pop to posters, dramatically expand the gamut to match difficult brand spot colours (like orange) or add special effects to invitations.

“The introduction of gold and silver toners for the Pro C7200X series provides graphic artists and commercial printers with new opportunities to broaden their product range and create market differentiation through striking metallic print enhancement capabilities. The new toners are retrofittable, enabling existing users to expand the capabilities of the Ricoh Pro C7200X presses they operate today.”

FINISHING SYSTEMS

Currie Group

Horizon’s iCE Binder BQ-500 is part of the iCE series, which Bernie Robinson, Currie Group’s Managing Director, describes as a new product line-up designed to provide added value through a new operator interface for a more intuitive operation, and advanced automation to provide increased efficiency

and productivity. In addition, connecting with an iCE LiNK workflow system provides an advanced and totally connected work environment.

Robinson sees the BQ-500 as the most productive binder for ‘book-of-one’ production. In addition, productivity is increased on longer runs with decreased set-up time and improved system efficiencies.

A uniquely designed template feature produces high-quality books, even with a non-skilled operator. Knowledge from a skilled operator can be stored in custom templates to produce consistently highquality books by any operator.

The BQ-500 supports both EVA and PUR hotmelt glue. Two different tanks are available and are interchangeable for each glue type.

Robinson says the system can be connected with various options to extend capabilities. A cover slitting unit, cover reject unit, elevator unit, glued book-block feeder, loose-sheet book-block feeder, and inline three-knife trimmer are all available options with the BQ-500.

And as a bonus, he notes the iCE series can be enhanced with automated workflow from upstream to postpress with iCE LiNK, which uses cloud technology, and is Horizon’s nextgeneration bindery control system.

Renz Australia

The latest digital print finishing equipment to join the Renz product stable comes from Plockmatic Group in the form of the BM5000 Series Booklet Maker and Morgana AutoCrease Pro XL and Digifold Pro XL, says Renz Australia Sales Director Tim Killen.

Killen describes the BM5000 as “a powerful, flexible booklet making solution for mid-to-large commercial print environments”. He notes it meets the demand of the marketplace where productivity, fast turnarounds, durability and reliability are key requirements for success. “Features such as optimum output quality, wide media support and exclusive functionality like squarefold, bleed trim and landscape booklet capabilities are critical for success in any commercial printer in today’s highly competitive environment.”

The Morgana AutoCreaser Pro XL is a

Heavy

to high volumes.

heavy-duty automatic creasing system designed to complement mid to high-volume digital and offset production presses. It complements the long-sheet capabilities enabled in the production printers of today, featuring a standard pull-out extension that enables sheet sizes up to 1300mm. This opens the door to new applications, such as landscape booklets, book covers for oversized perfect-bound books, multi-panel brochures and many other applications made from these long sheets. The new open feeder design is capable of efficiently feeding a wide range of media types and weights.

The Morgana DigiFold Pro XL builds on the proven and highly appreciated Morgana DigiFold Pro. The Pro XL has the capability to handle the new long formats that print engines now can produce. It can be equipped with an optional dual crease allowing up and down creasing in one single pass.

“The business proposition at Renz for our bindery equipment has been the same for the 40 years we’ve been in operation,” states Killen. “We provide only the highest-quality equipment, industry-best after-sales service, support, and product knowledge, which in turn provides our customers with the lowest whole-of-life investment on the equipment purchased. This, in turn, enables them to

duty: The Morgana AutoCreaser Pro XL is designed for mid

Horizon’s iCE Binder BQ-500 is available through Currie Group.

Renz Australia’s Sales Director Tim Killen.

produce their work at the lowest cost-persheet or book.

“Renz has always been a key supplier to the book printing sector of the market and the Plockmatic BM5000 caters perfectly to print businesses looking to make a profit in this sector. However, the Morgana AutoCrease Pro XL and DigiFold Pro XL enable all print companies – small, medium and large – to increase their profits on any creased, folded or perforated print product.”

Trimatt Systems

Australian finishing technology developer Trimatt Systems is now offering the Trimatt ValidForm Certification System, which streamlines the postpress process for digital printing in the areas of on-press barcoding, folding, stitching and binding, collating, polywrapping, insertion and sorting. Trimatt owner and CEO Matt Johnson says ValidForm reads and collects unique data from printed media and performs real-time monitoring of the printed job, while checking for missing records, duplicates, mismatches and poor quality.

Features of the system include a single, fully synchronised controller, Windowsbased software that offers ease of set-up, job saving templates and the ability to run from data files. It has the capability to run two programmable outputs, an onboard real-time error log, the ability to read TrueType fonts, and 1D and 2D barcodes (QR codes). It also features remote accessibility. Johnson says ValidForm is available in various configurations from a single read head up to eight read heads.

Inkjet or toner?

What’s the better proposition when it comes to digital printing – inkjet or toner technology? ProPrint polled some vendors.

Currie Group’s Anthony Jackson says this is tough to answer as both are different with their own unique process. “But based on HP Indigo’s unique and advanced technology, there are few differences when compared to toner technology. HP Indigo’s printing process is quite like offset, in which images are transferred to substrates directly from the blanket. But for toner technology, images are not directly transferred to the substrate. Toner technology requires heat fusing, cooling and then a de-curling process, he says, adding HP Indigo doesn’t require these processes after direct transfer to the substrate, just like offset.

Fujifilm Business Innovation Australia’s Darren Yeates says each technology type has advantages for different applications. Improvements in image quality make inkjet solutions suitable for short-run offset transfer and applications including publications, catalogues and packaging work. While the inline finishing advantages and substrate variety of toner-based systems for booklets, direct mail and other

Moreover, the support of experienced and knowledgeable staff at Trimatt add peace of mind, says Johnson.

“Trimatt Systems developed ValidForm as a software suite that uses digital cameras to inspect each printed section for accuracy,” he explains. “As the section is fed by the binder, our cameras take a picture and analyse it. This solution ensures print finishing meets 100 per cent accuracy. ValidForm is our own developed software and we now have over 100 installations around the country.

“The system is configurable to meet the varying requirements of our clients. We have solutions for capturing OCR or barcode information also. It all delivers an intelligent solution for matching personalised media.”

Johnson says Trimatt’s solutions are locally designed and supported and use leading modern technology.

“Unique requirements can be handled by our inhouse engineers,” he says, adding the data capture solution can be integrated into practically any process in the production environment, including established analogue workflows.

More broadly, Johnson observes that

promotional materials is also appealing.

Kodak’s Robert Mollee says Kodak’s continuous inkjet technology provides high-quality, high-speed colour printing using cost-effective, water-based inks. “Kodak’s web-fed inkjet presses support cost-effective printing of medium and long runs with short lead times enabling printers to shift many jobs from traditional printing processes to digital so they can increase revenue. “Kodak’s toner based digital presses offer the greatest possible variety in terms of substrates, sheet sizes, special inks and inline print embellishment options. Printers can move more jobs from offset to digital, enhancing their portfolio of services with high margin, creative applications and the ability to get in a position to say ‘yes’ to virtually any job that’s asked of them.”

Konica Minolta’s Tatjana Ferguson says there is a place for both toner and inkjet systems. “From a technical standpoint, the case for one over the other really depends on the run length and also the application. Inkjet offers the advantage of speed, so certainly makes sense for larger runs. In the form of UV inkjet inks, it also brings the widest range of compatible materials.

consulting and listening to clients is the key to understanding their problems and opportunities.

“Trimatt outlines the hardware and software required to deliver desired outcomes,” he said.

“By reducing risk and waste and offering 100 per cent quality assurances with full production reporting to users, investing in systems automation with Trimatt Systems gives printers and finishers a tool to capture new clients.” PP

There are very few things that UV ink won’t adhere to. Like toner, UV comes out of the printer dry and ready to be finished immediately. In the case of aqueous inkjet inks, the big advantage is lower cost-perprint, which is especially advantageous in transactional printing. The downside of this technology is it can’t immediately print duplex, due to paper cockling and water needing to be driven from the material.”

Ricoh’s Henryk Kraszewski said as the transition from offset to digital accelerates, high-speed inkjet offers key operational advantages. “With a similar capital cost, it provides the productivity required with lower operating requirements, typically only needing one operator, with a significant amount of automation provided. A model like the Ricoh Pro VC70000 will print on the same coated stocks with print quality only marginally different to offset. Today’s cut-sheet digital presses produce outstanding image quality on an incredible array of different stock types with little or no makeready. They also have built-in automation and high uptime, and can deliver professional, fully finished documents inline – ready for immediate distribution.“

Trimatt Systems builds a range of finishing equipment in Melbourne.

Trimatt Systems’ ValidForm reads and collects unique data from printed media. It also checks for missing records, duplicates, mismatches and poor quality.

to help you profit...

LABEL APPLICATORS - FEEDERS - INKJET SYSTEMS - POLYWRAP - INSERT - DATA CAPTURE

Our systems can be tailored to meet your exact needs, and designed to be upgraded as your needs grow.

Our systems can be tailored to meet your exact needs, and designed to be upgraded as your needs grow.

Our systems can be tailored to meet your exact needs, and designed to be upgraded as your needs grow.

We have solutions for entry level applications, to the most complex

We have solutions for entry level applications, to the most complex

We have solutions for entry level applications, to the most complex

Trimatt Systems have been supplying machinery and software solutions to the printing industry since 2005. Our range of quality machinery help business capture profits by automating ‘value added’ tasks. These processes include :

We are the experts when it comes to systems integration. Our products and solutions can

Trimatt Systems have been supplying machinery and software solutions to the printing industry since 2005. Our range of quality machinery help business capture profits by automating ‘value added’ tasks. These processes include :

Inkjet systems for Addressing, Barcoding, Numbering

Inkjet systems for Addressing, Barcoding, Numbering

Colour inkjet systems

Colour inkjet systems

Envelope Feeders

Envelope Feeders

Feeders for gluing and attaching

Feeders for gluing and attaching

Camera systems for data capture and quality inspection

We are the experts when it comes to systems integration. Our products and solutions can also be configured for ‘stand alone' operation

We are the experts when it comes to systems integration. Our products and solutions can also be configured for ‘stand alone' operation

Our highly skilled team will work consultatively with you to make your project transition smooth.

Our highly skilled team will work consultatively with you to make your project transition smooth.

Camera systems for data capture and quality inspection

Label applicators and printer applicators

Label applicators and printer applicators

Plough folding and finishing media ready for mail

Plough folding and finishing media ready for mail

Polybagging and letter inserting

and letter inserting

Plastic card solutions - Magnetic encoding, printing simplex or duplex

card solutions - Magnetic encoding, printing simplex or duplex

Batch counting and collating

and collating

LABEL APPLICATORS - FEEDERS - INKJET SYSTEMS - POLYWRAP - INSERT - DATA CAPTURE

30th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Welcome to the first in a six-part retrospective series celebrating ProPrint’s colourful 30-year history.

Each issue will review a five-year period in time starting with this 1991-1995 glimpse of the way we were back in the day.

ProPrint marks 30 years in print

Three decades ago, a new magazine for the Australian printing industry sprang to life. It was printed in full colour paving the way for other industry titles to follow suit.

ProPrint was launched by Agency Printing owner Don Elliott, Cliff Ewing and Noel Boltwood. It came as the industry found itself on the verge of a digital transformation which would challenge it in unimaginable ways.

There was no email, no smartphones, no CTP, no digital printing, and no private equity. The Apple Mac was sending tremors of change through companies like Crosfield, Hell, Scitex and Screen. The Indigo had not yet been released and digital printing was in its infancy.

Amid this changing landscape, ProPrint emerged promising to, in Don Elliott’s words, “tell it like it is”.

Thirty years on this focus continues with Star Business profiles and interviews with industry leaders giving insight into what makes this industry tick.

It is also important to mention another continued force behind ProPrint — Carmen Ciappara. Ciappara was just 16 when she started working at Agency Printing.

Later she would join Elliott and ProPrint’s first editor Dee Warring to launch the fledgling publication at the LIA national conference in Wollongong. It wasn’t long until Ciappara was put in charge of advertising sales.

“Don believed I could do it, even more than I could. I never felt I could pull the job off, but I did it and I’m so pleased they put their faith in me,” Ciappara said as she reflects back

on the last 30 years.

“Back in those days I would print off 11,000 mailing labels and the bindery staff would manually apply them to the plastic bags in preparation for Australia Post to lodge for mailing.”

Nowadays, in addition to ProPrint, she also manages advertising sales for ProPrint’s sister publications Australian Printer, ProPack.Pro, leading industry website, Sprinter together with the ProPrint Awards, now in its 11th year.

Ciappara’s industry knowledge is unsurpassed, the same can be said for her passion for ProPrint

We hope you enjoy our journey through history. This is the first in a six-part retrospective series which will be published in five year periods.

The very first issue of ProPrint in October 1991 reviewed Print ’91, a print industry tradeshow held on the shore of Chicago’s Lake Michigan. Stock Journal Printing in Adelaide, a subsidiary of Hannan Print, was featured as the first Australian site to install a Mitsubishi five colour press, the 3F. The Printing and Kindred Industries Union (PIKU) were covered on topics including membership and the 3% superannuation. Frank Steel & Co, a Sydney screen printing and spot UV varnish specialist, was also featured.

In the early days an entire section of the magazine was devoted to travel, food and wine, cars, and other fun pursuits. The first issue included a review of the new Mazda 929 and explored the wonders of St Kilda’s Hotel St Moritz.

Clockwise from top left: ProPrint’s first cover in October 1991; Carmen Ciappara during ProPrint’s early days; an Impress paper ad showing the style of the day; Frank Steel & Co celebrated; Print ‘91 in review; Where it all began with Don Elliott, Dee Warring and Cliff Ewing.

What happened in 1992

In 1992 Opposition Leader John Hewson was busy selling his Fightback plan and a GST, while Prime Minister Paul Keating launched a $2.3 billion package to shrug off “the recession we had to have”. All printers really wanted was an end to it all. On the tech front, Xerox revolutionised print by launching the DocuTech. Apple Macintosh challenged repro technologies. Training, recycling and the environment were hot topics. Queensland’s Inprint moved from being a jobbing printer to one with 240 staff and a bounty was set up for recycled paper manufacturers to support them after the partial removal of a sales tax exemption.

From top left: A Heidelberg Muller Martini ad; APPM ad shows the strength of Aussie paper; Inprint tells all; Sony Music opens huge print site; Hyphen ad; A standout ProPrint cover; Apple Macintosh move in; Rawson Graphics’ John Cable and Peter Finch in the Big Bash; Linotype-Hell ad; Xerox Docutech makes a splash.

What happened in 1993

As Paul Keating became the unlikely election winner, IPEX was the key trade show of the year attracting a strong crowd from Australia. Heidelberg Harris “redefined the standards for quality” with the launch of the M-600 16page web offset press. In a major move, Polychrome Corp announced it would build a lithographic plate and film production plant in Melbourne and Websdale Printing installed Australia’s first 8-colour sheetfed Heidelberg — a Heidelberg Speedmaster CD 102 A+L.

From top left: Roland 100 launched; IPEX fun; Potstill Press celebrates; Crosfield ad; Heidelberg’s M-600; Doran Printing profiled; Tom Pongrass’s new Heidelberg; Vic Premier Jeff Kennett with Polychrome’s Tom Heckels; Currie and Company MD David Currie; ProPrint’s chocolatey cover.

What happened in 1994

Desktop publishing continued to challenge traditional typesetting with demand for scanners increasing. The Agfa CristalRaster was launched with great fanfare, while Heidelberg released a new GTO. Polychrome forged ahead with its new plate and film factory in Melbourne. The 11th National Print Awards were held in Sydney with 1000 guests. WA’s Lamb family were also profiled having been in the industry since the early 1900s. The Printing and Allied Trades Employers’ Federation of Australia (PATEFA) hosted then NSW Industrial Relations Minister, Kerry Chikarovsky, to discuss law reforms.

From top left: An early Currie Group Horizon ad; Holograms Fantastic and Southcorp Packaging show possibilities with this insert; Hypen management systems ad; Polychrome makes its mark; Heidelberg promotes new GTO; National Print Awards; Then NSW Industrial Relations Minister Kerry Chikarovsky with PATEFA’s Reg Waite; Pongrass Australia expands into Hong Kong; ProPrint’s cover features Agfa’s CristalRaster; The Lamb family of WA.

What happened in 1995

This was a drupa year so there was lots going on. The Indigo E-1000 had landed in Australia and the Agfa Chromapress was also turning heads. At drupa, Indigo exhibited a dozen presses and Xeikon was also there.

Scitex announced a tie-up with Xerox, resulting in the Spontane — a colour laser printer. Heidelberg had the largest stand at drupa with a whopping 1500 employees working on it. Roland were also well represented.

Anne Rimer was elected as the Graphic Arts Merchants Association of Australia’s first female president.

Top from left: ProPrint’s drupa guide; Postcards from drupa; Queensland’s print training centre moves; Kodak’s new plates; Anne Rimer elected GAMAA president; Prepress featured at drupa; Agfa promotes the Accuset; Fujifilm ad; Heidelberg’s new logo; Indigo lands in Australia; The Indigo E-1000 Digital Printer; Apple Type & Design merges with Colorplan to form Complete Imaging Centre.

impressions per hour is the i300’s top speed. That’s 300 A4 pages per minute!

www.dataflowsystems.com.au